Ryan Baber Cancer Treatment Expense

My name is Ryan Baber.  I'm a dad to my beautiful daughter, Samantha; son to my parents, Maddy and Dave Baber, and friend to many of you.


Here's my plight: 
About a year ago I began to have a hoarse voice. This became progressively worse since then. I have seen several ENT specialists. I was thought to have a cyst on my larynx or thyroid gland with no treatment performed or ordered.

After multiple trips to the ER for breathing problems and issues with extreme anxiety, surgical intervention was FINALLY planned with a diagnosis of Stage 4 laryngeal, neck and thyroid cancer.

I ended up in the ICU for several days due to a collapsed lung which was punctured during surgery. 

Following this, my face and neck began to swell I started to looked like an emoji. As I demonstrated more difficulty breathing my parents began to push to have another medical group evaluate me.  I was sure I was going to die.


My mother had to fly back home from New York as she taught part time computer systems to hospital staff. My dad is retired and is a prison minister in Michigan. We are all on very limited incomes. 

I was finally admitted at University of Michigan. I had a tracheotomy performed yesterday. It's much easier to breathe now but I still face having radical surgery for cancer with six to eight weeks of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Travel distance is 176 miles round trip, with financial support we would be able to stay at a small hotel when having therapy for 4 to 6 weeks Monday thru Friday. Also Chemo and experimental IV drug once a week for we really don't know how long.  I pray for prayers and financial support to help us through this journey. 

If you have ever known anyone that received chemo or similar cancer treatments, you know that it is not only very hard on the person’s body, but also hard on the immediate family as well, both mentally and financially. After receiving treatment, your body feels completely destroyed and would be very difficult to keep up treatments without complications due to needing to travel 176 miles 5 days per week for a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks.

So I ask for your financial assistance to help me cover travel expenses, room and board while I receive treatment for my cancer to help give me the best possible chance for continued treatment and God willing, recovery from my stage 4 cancer.

My family thanks you, my daughter thanks you, and I thank you for your time.

*SPECIAL NOTE: My name is Bruce Hakala. I have been friends with Ryan since we were kids. Some of my fondest childhood memories were with Ryan. I am fortunate that after years of not keeping in touch, that we reconnected last year and picked back up where we left off. Discussions about life, comic book heroes, video games, our kids, and reconnecting with his parents, have been great. He is a good friend, fantastic father, and has one of the kindest hearts of anyone I have ever met. Anyone who knows him would agree. Whether you know him personally or not, I ask that you please donate whatever you can to help out. If you are not in a position to donate, then please wish him the best and share this with others so they may help too.

Due to the overwhelming nature of his situation, his family has asked that I set this campaign up for him. Please be aware that all funding goes directly to Ryan.