Support Ryan's Battle Against Stage 3 Colon Cancer

Hey everyone, it’s the Ford family. To rip the bandaid off, so to speak, we are in need of help. On October 21st, 2024, Ryan was diagnosed with colon cancer. Asking for help does not come easily if you know us and Ryan in general. He would give you the shirt off his back or be the first one in line if he was needed. He never asks for help no matter what the circumstances, but this health issue has hit us harder than anything that’s come before. We’ve just uprooted our lives and moved from NJ to Texas in mid-August so we could live better, but life had other plans. Ryan has been unable to work due to severe fatigue, and 45 lbs of weight loss in the past 5 months, plus other numerous debilitating symptoms.

Some backstory: Ryan has been having “gut” issues for the past 2 years that have been brushed off as IBS by previous doctors. He has experienced some pretty terrible symptoms, which in the past 3 months have progressively worsened. After some abnormal findings on his CAT scan in the ER here in Texas, we were referred to a GI who confirmed via biopsy with colonoscopy our suspicions of a cancerous tumor in Ryan’s colon. The GI has scheduled surgery to remove the tumor and stage it with further biopsy of the surrounding nodes on Tuesday, October 29th. Due to the stricture the tumor caused on his intestines, we are unsure whether there are more cancerous lesions further up.

However, life has decided different plans for us. Today, October 23rd, Ryan began experiencing severe abdominal pain, back pain, nausea, and vomiting. We now find ourselves in the emergency department with a suspected bowel obstruction at the tumor and imminent emergency surgery.

We don’t know what the future holds and are both scared. We have three kids together and each were told in a way we felt appropriate for their age. With Ryan being unable to work, we are now a one-income family and are barely scraping by. With all our upcoming hurdles, the massive copays alone that have been racked up, and everything to come, this is the reason why we are asking for aid.

If you are able to help in any way, we are so grateful. We know how hard it is to get by in this day and age even when you have both spouses working. Even if you can’t help monetarily, sending your love and prayers are wholeheartedly welcome as well. Thank you for reading this far, and thank you for your support. We love you all.

I will continue to update as we move along this journey. For all of you out there reading this, don’t let it be you. Please get yourself checked out if you are having unexplained symptoms, and keep your health in mind. It can be taken from you without a moments notice. We never thought that at 39 years old, cancer would be in the conversation for Ryan, but here we are.