Super Ryan

We have gotten all of Ryan's results from last week. The markers in his urine are all in the normal range. Hooray!! I had a long conversation with Dr. Anderson yesterday and feel like I can add another class towards my medical degree. I learned a good bit about the growth hormones. Ryan was tested for 2 markers that indicate the amounts of growth hormones his pituitary is producing. His numbers are slightly low, but they don't know why. Dr. Anderson said this is more common with brain tumor patients or patients who have had radiation to the pituitary. Ryan did not. So what to do about it? Nothing right now. There is just not enough evidence as to what growth hormones might do to someone who has had Neuroblastoma. We certainly don't want to make something grow that we don't want. We will wait another year and repeat the test and see if the numbers are coming up. According to the scan of his wrist, he has lots of growing left to do if his pituitary will just tell his body to grow. And, if he isn't terribly tall, that will be alright with me. So for now we will keep on keepin' on, loving our normal lives. We are looking forward to Fall Break in a few weeks and will be headed to Helen for a few days. I, personally, can not wait!! Thanks for checking in on us, and please keep Ryan in your prayers. Love, Les, Missy, Heidi, Will, and SuperRyan

Well, as you can see, Will is wearing a full leg cast for the next 3 weeks. Hopefully, then he can just wear a brace. So far, he is eating up the attention (could he be deprived?) and all the perks. I owe my mom a big thanks for taking him to the pediatrician and then the orthopedist on Friday. It hasn't slowed him down too much. We went to the Appalachee High School football game Friday night and sat through his soccer game Saturday morning. I'm sure his team will miss him on the field for a few weeks. Heidi's team lost their game Saturday. She made a great penalty shot for a goal, and just barely missed another. Ryan's friend, Matt, came and played and spent the night with Ryan. They play non-stop. Tomorrow we will celebrate ONE YEAR OFF TREATMENT!! It has been a full and blessed year. We want to thank you all for your many prayers for Ryan and our family and for your kind and supportive cards, gifts, emails, visits, and calls. We pray each and every day that Ryan stays on this path to a full recovery. He is so strong and full of energy. He is loving life, and so are we. Love, Les, Missy, Heidi, Will, and SuperRyan

Here is Ryan's newest buddy, Mackie, our "Chinese Guard Dog". He is a great dog! He sleeps on Ryan's bed and follows him around everywhere. Les took Ryan to the clinic today and he had a good checkup. He weighed in at 44 pounds. I was hoping for a little more. We didn't get his counts yet, and should get the catecholomine results early next week. He will have a CT and MIBG in December. I know Ryan doesn't miss having a scan every 3 months, but it is reassuring. He had a bone-age scan of his hand. They use this to determine if growth is stagnant or just dormant. I think they are a little concerned that he hasn't grown much. Preliminary results from the radiologist are that it is just dormant. They did mention giving him growth hormones if it looked favorable. The guys had the usual stop at Steak and Shake on the way home. We got his adenoid surgery scheduled for Oct. 20. Please pray that it goes well and that it takes care of his runny nose. It will be so great if it works. I wanted to tell you briefly about the Quiet Heroes Luncheon I went to last weekend. I was honored to sit with some of the most awesome people in the room, the Aflac nurses, particularly our favorites, Dawn and Erica. I didn' t tell you that Erica was Ryan's "girlfriend" at Camp Sunshine this past summer. He can always find the pretty girls. I learned that his counselor friend, Matt, is Jill Becker's son. Jill has been an anchor on the morning news in Atlanta for many years. She knew Ryan the instant I spoke to her about him. He makes friends so easily. Matt had had cancer when he was 3 years old! Maybe someday Ryan will be a counselor and befriend a little boy like himself. I didn't know the luncheon raised almost $11o,ooo last year. I know this year it will go even higher. I did manage to secure a dinner from the silent auction for Les' birthday. I would really like to thank Chris Glavine, Kristin Conner, Jill Becker, and all the others who put this event together. Won't it be awesome when our cure is found? Ryan is doing well in school and soccer. He had a game tonight and one Tuesday night. They won both. Heidi and Will are doing great, except that Will hurt his knee pretty badly tonight at soccer practice. We may end up at the dr.s tomorrow. Thanks for checking in on us and please continue to pray for Ryan. He has some friends that really need your prayers, as well. Please pray for Maddie, Nathan, Dustin, Taylor, Martin, and Patrick. We need that cure! Much love, Les, Missy, Heidi, Will, and SuperRyan

It has been 2 years that we have been writing about Ryan and our family to you. We hoped to make it informative and enjoyable at the same time. It would be nice to speak one on one with everybody but time just doesn't allow it. We would like to thank you for continuing down this road with Ryan because at this point in time, Neuroblastoma has no definitive end. Ryan is doing very well in school, sports and health ! His 3 month check-up with Doctor Anderson is on the 14th and his nose is still noticeably better. We will be praying for normal blood work and catecholamines. Soccer is in full swing from this week on. All 3 will be busy with lots of practices and games, meaning virtually every day for Missy and I. In addition to Heidi's regular soccer team, she was invited to play on the U-19 select team also, she should be in great shape after this season! One more note on Heidi... she gets her braces off on this sites anniversary also, Yeah!! she is soooo excited. Once again, thanks for hanging in with us and keeping Ryan in your prayers. Lots of love, Les, Missy, Heidi, Will and SuperRyan