Ryan

Joanne's Story

In January 2018 we were a regular family, just back from vacation, and suddenly with no warning we were dealing with Ryan’s cancer diagnosis. It all happened so fast. The biggest challenges we faced were in navigating the complexities of a rare cancer diagnosis. Our journey to the correct staging diagnosis and treatment protocol was a complicated one. As well, the treatments were hard on Ryan, they were aggressive and he needed over 30 blood/platelet transfusions throughout the 7 month process. The Janeway nurses were amazing, they got us through. It meant a lot to us that they focused on the well being of the entire family. I also found a lot of good resources online, it was helpful to have the support and advice of other parents who had been through similar journeys with their children. This is also how I was first introduced to LLSC. We no longer stress about the small things because we know that life can change so quickly.

I know that if I had cancer at his age I probably wouldn’t be here today. For him, the likelihood of a positive outcome was very high, that’s because of improved treatments. We wanted to support LLSC’s admirable work of supporting research.

Light The Night is a very special way to give back, to give hope, and to raise money for treatment advances that are saving lives. Also, the visual effect of all the lanterns together is impactful. It’s both joyous and very emotional. My son is alive because of advances in treatment. Today, they are more efficient, safer, and trials are continually ongoing to minimize side effects. Your research dollars are working, they are saving lives and Ryan is proof of that!