Please help support Ryker and his family as they continue to face every family’s worst nightmare. Ryker is currently battling an aggressive form of cancer, Ewing’s Sarcoma.
On November 13, 2024, what appeared to be a normal morning of getting ready for school quickly turned into a day that changed our lives forever.
Ryker woke up complaining of chest pressure. When there was no relief from his inhaler, Brooke knew he needed to go to the emergency room. However, we could have never anticipated the diagnosis coming. When Ryker arrived at the emergency room, they immediately did an EKG, which came back normal. We will forever be grateful to the doctor who ordered an x-ray to rule everything out.
The x-ray came back, and there was a 10 cm “growth.”
A CT was ordered, and the diagnosis was still unclear beyond cancer. Our whole world came crashing down. Ryker was sent to Rady’s Children Hospital for further testing. That night, fevers started; his body had quickly begun fighting. The following day, Ryker had his biopsy performed, and the results revealed Ewing’s Sarcoma. Ryker’s tumor grew out from his 6th rib; it has impacted the right side of his heart, the top of his liver, and the bottom of his lung.
Ewing’s Sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that affects bones and the soft tissue around bones. It primarily impacts children and young adults. Ewing’s Sarcoma requires an intensive treatment plan of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, sometimes surgery to remove affected areas.
The following week, things happened quickly. Ryker had a bilateral bone marrow biopsy and a PET scan, and by the grace of God, the cancer had not spread beyond his chest wall. On November 20th, Ryker’s port was placed, and the fight for his life began.
Ryker has endured 48 rounds of chemo, 31 doses of radiation over a span of 6 weeks, endless scans, transfusions, and pokes.
Ryker has shown incredible strength throughout his journey, but the road ahead is still long and demanding – emotionally, physically, and financially. Any support will help ease the burden on the family as they continue to cover medical expenses, travel for treatment, and time away from work so we can continue to focus on what matters most: Ryker’s fight.
Ryker’s favorite thing to say during it all is, he’s “Built Different,” and that he is.
Ryker’s passion has always been baseball, and he has found the strength through the treatment to make his way back onto the baseball field despite what he has had to endure. He has gone straight from chemo and radiation to the baseball field; he has had to reteach himself the game in a way that also preserves his weaker body. His strength and courage are what have powered him through his battle.
At the beginning of the diagnosis, Ryker and his family made a decision, “we either laugh or cry through it,” and while there have been plenty of tears, we choose to let our faith and strength power us through this fight.
Any donation, no matter the size, makes a difference. Thank you for standing with Ryker and his family in this battle.
