Ryan's Journey for a Cure
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"Can I help you with that?"
"Let me carry it for you."
"Can I clean anything for you?"
- Ryan Cowan, on any given day
If you were to ask anyone who knows Ryan to describe him, there's no doubt the first words out of their mouth would be loving and helpful. From carrying in groceries to putting dinner together to explaning something to someone they don't yet understand, Ryan is a young man who has a real love of supporting others.
And it isn't just his desire to be useful that makes him so amazing; it's the fact that life didn't deal him a hand that was destined to result in a generosity of spirit. Ryan has been in and out of foster care for most of his life, as have all 9 of his biological brothers and sisters. He struggled in school. Struggled with friends. Struggled at home (when he had one.)
Much of Ryan's young life WAS struggle... until he met Jen and Jim Cowan almost 2 years ago. Jen, Jim, and their 14-year-old, adopted daughter Ashley welcomed Ryan into their home, thinking at first that he would only be staying a couple of weeks until a more permanent foster home could be found for him. But after his first few weeks, Jen decided she doesn't do temporary, so they made the decision as a family that this would be his "forever home."
On December 9, 2016, Ryan was legally adopted into the Cowan family. He was making friends and finally settling in.
On March 9, 2017, Ryan went into the hospital. He woke up feeling weak, nauseated, and out of breath. Jen decided to take him to Urgent Care and from there he went to Albany Medical . Over the next several days, Ryan had a number of tests to diagnose the problem.
On Wednesday, March 15th, he was diagnosed with T- Cell Leukemia. He started on a round of chemotherapy immediately.
Ryan is embarking on a two-year treatment plan, with the goal of complete remission. The medications have slowed him down a bit. He is sometimes too tired to do the things he used to enjoy doing.
His sister writes:
Ryan is a pretty cool dude :) When he first came here...I have to admit I thought he was just gonna be a temporary thing, but he's grown on me. On the way to the hospital, the day after he was admitted, I didn't know what was going on, I was told Rye might have cancer. i started crying and so much emotion passed through me and i couldn't stop crying. once I was able to stop, i made a ill-humored joke. i looked at my parents and i said "He's grown on me like cancer." of course that made all of us laugh and we went and saw Rye. Now knowing that his two year fight will cause some stress and tears...Just knowing that there's a chance he will go into remisson after this..Gives me alot of hope..
Your generous donation will help Ryan and his family be able to focus on caring for and supporting Ryan while he recovers, and not the financial challenges that long-term medical care and lost work hours create. Consider helping Ryan by giving $500, $100, or even $25 toward Ryan's medical bills and his family's needs.
You can't take away Ryan's struggle, but you can help him to not do it alone.
"Let me carry it for you."
"Can I clean anything for you?"
- Ryan Cowan, on any given day
If you were to ask anyone who knows Ryan to describe him, there's no doubt the first words out of their mouth would be loving and helpful. From carrying in groceries to putting dinner together to explaning something to someone they don't yet understand, Ryan is a young man who has a real love of supporting others.
And it isn't just his desire to be useful that makes him so amazing; it's the fact that life didn't deal him a hand that was destined to result in a generosity of spirit. Ryan has been in and out of foster care for most of his life, as have all 9 of his biological brothers and sisters. He struggled in school. Struggled with friends. Struggled at home (when he had one.)
Much of Ryan's young life WAS struggle... until he met Jen and Jim Cowan almost 2 years ago. Jen, Jim, and their 14-year-old, adopted daughter Ashley welcomed Ryan into their home, thinking at first that he would only be staying a couple of weeks until a more permanent foster home could be found for him. But after his first few weeks, Jen decided she doesn't do temporary, so they made the decision as a family that this would be his "forever home."
On December 9, 2016, Ryan was legally adopted into the Cowan family. He was making friends and finally settling in.
On March 9, 2017, Ryan went into the hospital. He woke up feeling weak, nauseated, and out of breath. Jen decided to take him to Urgent Care and from there he went to Albany Medical . Over the next several days, Ryan had a number of tests to diagnose the problem.
On Wednesday, March 15th, he was diagnosed with T- Cell Leukemia. He started on a round of chemotherapy immediately.
Ryan is embarking on a two-year treatment plan, with the goal of complete remission. The medications have slowed him down a bit. He is sometimes too tired to do the things he used to enjoy doing.
His sister writes:
Ryan is a pretty cool dude :) When he first came here...I have to admit I thought he was just gonna be a temporary thing, but he's grown on me. On the way to the hospital, the day after he was admitted, I didn't know what was going on, I was told Rye might have cancer. i started crying and so much emotion passed through me and i couldn't stop crying. once I was able to stop, i made a ill-humored joke. i looked at my parents and i said "He's grown on me like cancer." of course that made all of us laugh and we went and saw Rye. Now knowing that his two year fight will cause some stress and tears...Just knowing that there's a chance he will go into remisson after this..Gives me alot of hope..
Your generous donation will help Ryan and his family be able to focus on caring for and supporting Ryan while he recovers, and not the financial challenges that long-term medical care and lost work hours create. Consider helping Ryan by giving $500, $100, or even $25 toward Ryan's medical bills and his family's needs.
You can't take away Ryan's struggle, but you can help him to not do it alone.
Organizer
Jennifer Cowan
Organizer
Troy, NY
