Ryan's story

Ryan was diagnosed with Stage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma N-MYC amplified in July 2008. He was out of treatment for just over a year when in November 2010 our lives were again turned upside down when we discovered the disease had returned in his bones and bone marrow. After a year of treatment re-staging scans in November 2011 showed that he had again achieved remission.

However just 3 months later, in February 2012, end of treatment scans gave us the devastating news that the disease has returned, this time with a tumour near his spine. In March Ryan started 4 weeks of radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy. Re-staging scans in May and August showed no evidence of disease. On the 4th September 2012 Ryan received treatment in Tubingen for a haplo-identical stem cell transplant. He is a happy, active boy who is now enjoying life to the full.

Thursday 15 March 2012

Today radiotherapy was again at 8am, and by 8.10 he was dressed and it was all done. There were no tears for the treatment, only for the MRSA swab they wanted to take from Ryan's nose.

We have been told that radiotherapy can cause the tumour to swell and although this is a good sign in that the treatment is working we cannot afford for Ryan's tumour to swell because of its position. So on Monday Ryan was started on steroids to counteract any swelling. He also started a daily tablet to protect his stomach as the steroids can cause stomach ulcers. So far we haven't seen any sign of mood swings so fingers crossed. There is little chance of him gaining weight because although he's eating well he can't stay still for long and is literally sprinting up and down the corridors at Sam's House.
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