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James Gregory Ryan II is like every other two-and-a-half year old boy. He likes to play with his friends, he likes watching Dora and Diego on TV, he likes going to church and to school and most of all, James likes spending time with his Mommy, Daddy and little sister Adrianne. Unfortunately, there is one thing that makes James different from other children his age and that is that James has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).
ALL is a fast growing cancer of the white blood cells. ALL happens when a person’s lymphocytes, which are white blood cells that help the body fight infection, are unable to develop due to abnormal cell production.
Diagnosed with this life-threatening disease on July 12, 2007, James was only 13 months old. Since that time, James has had to endure so much at such a tender age. He has undergone spinal taps, blood draws, chemotherapy, steroid injections, and more. James’ parents said that the early stages of his Leukemia were the most difficult. “The first 6 months were the hardest,” Joy Ryan said of her son’s sickness. “Being so young, he wasn’t able to communicate to us exactly what was hurting him. Watching your child hurt and suffer like that is so hard. No parent wants to do that.”
An excerpt from the first blog posted on a blog site started by James’ family says;
“Everything is happening so fast, which is probably a blessing in disguise. James is a very active toddler. He, in hindsight, has grown a little more irritable and was bruising more easily. These things were not factors until that Thursday morning he woke up acting very lethargic and was found to have a low grade fever…. A midnight transfer to MD Anderson would take place. James received a blood transfusion to try and raise his platelet counts and help him begin to feel better. After a long night and day there, the diagnosis of Leukemia was confirmed…It is expected to be a long road, but by faith we believe that James, Joy and Greg (and soon to be little Adrianne) will become a stronger family and God will be glorified as James turns into a once again healthy young boy.”
Now at the half-way point in James’ treatment, the Ryan’s truly have become a stronger family. More than a year and a half later, Greg and Joy Ryan say one of their greatest obstacles is trying to redefine normal. “James always seems to have a runny nose or a cough and we have to be extra careful about fevers. When he does get sick, we have to watch him constantly to make sure we are on top of things.” The Ryan’s say James has had a few hospital stays over the course of the last year. “When we go on trips we have to identify a hospital that can treat him if he is to get sick.”
James has come a long way since his diagnosis. Having undergone chemo-therapy, steroid injections, and periodic blood work checks, he is finally approaching the halfway point in his treatment.
“We are now in Long-Term Maintenance. This will last until James is done with his treatment.” Joy said. “He still takes chemo every night, and has additional chemo once a week. Every twenty-eight days, he takes 5 days of steroids and once a month he receives chemo through his port and an antibiotic.”
The Ryan’s are truly blessed with many caring friends and family. They’ve been there to help them through this life-changing event. Family and friends have helped by preparing meals, helping with yard and housework and also by helping the family with their on-going medical bills.
To help the family celebrate their halfway point, friends have put together the “1/2 Way 5K” which will take place this Saturday, April 4th at the Barbara Bush Elementary School. “The ½ Way 5K was put together by some sweet friends of ours who want to celebrate how far we have come and to show their support for our journey ahead.
James is halfway through treatment (19 months) and he has 19 more to go. He will be done with treatment Sept 2010. That is what the halfway 5K is all about.”
While James will be finished with his treatment September 2010, he will not be deemed "cured” until September 2012. His family asks for continued prayers for him until that time. To learn more about James and follow him and his family through the rest of their journey you can visit his blog page at babyjamesgregoryryan.blogspot.com
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