After finishing his junior year in high school, Ryan was diagnosed with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on June 11, 2018.
When he heard the news he was in pure shock. It was very hard to believe since it's something you don't think about getting, especially starting summer before your senior year in high school.
Ryan feels very loved and cared for being surrounded by the Light the Night community. He is so thankful for all his many doctors and nurses that helped get him to where he is today. Ryan is now in remission, which has returned a sense of normalcy to his life. It’s also a huge relief and sense of encouragement that anything is possible.
For those recently diagnosed, Ryan’s advice would be simply "Don't give up!!!” Ryan says, “No matter what the odds are you can overcome your cancer!! Keeping your mind positive helps you endure the bad days and enjoy the good ones for what they are. You're going to have some very rough and hard days here and there but if you keep your mind positive and strive to look for the good in the bad, those few bad days won't mean a thing in the grand scheme.”