STAND WITH RYAN LEWIS

On Saturday, April 25, 2020, I received “THE” phone call, you know, the call everyone hopes they will never receive from a loved one. At the other end of the line that day was my baby brother, Ryan (aka Boob/Boobie). Ryan proceeded to tell me he had just left the hospital where he went to the emergency room because he had been violently sick for the previous week. Then the words I was not ready to hear came out of his mouth, “I have cancer”. Ryan then arrived at my house where we hugged, cried and talked. The hospital staffed advised Ryan to go home and someone would call him to set up an appointment with the Oncologist for the upcoming Monday; however, later that afternoon, Ryan received a call advising him to return to the hospital immediately to be admitted. I can’t even begin to find adequate words to explain the thoughts and feelings that flood one’s mind in that moment. Ryan has been diagnosed with High Grade Lymphoma and has a 11.2 centimeter (4.5 inches) cancerous mass beside his small intestine.

Fast forward to now, Ryan just returned home after being in the Oncology ICU unit for almost two weeks and just finished up his first session of chemotherapy in this round. He was given chemo non-stop for 5 days straight, when one bag finished, the GREAT NURSES that he had replaced it with a new one.  Ryan was given a separate chemo treatment for his brain via an injection directly into his spine. In addition, bone marrow was extracted and sent off for testing. Without a doubt, Ryan has been through hell the last two weeks. He will continue to do this treatment 5 more times in this round, and that is just the beginning.

Ryan is 42-year-old single father with full custody of his 8-year-old son, Wyatt. Ryan is a true man’s man, he is loyal, honest, witty, and hardworking like no other. Ryan works all of overtime that he can so that he can provide his son the best life possible. They do everything together, working on cars, going out on the boat, and riding four wheelers just to name a few. The time spent with his son is true quality time. My brother is a proud member IOUE Local 147 and has been for 20+ years. Ryan has also been a loyal employee of W.O. Grubb for almost as long. My brother is John Wayne tough!! He is accustomed to overcoming adversity as he has done successfully all his life. As a kid my brother had to wear braces on his legs in an effort to correct a disease that did not allow his hip socket to form correctly. Later In life he had an inch and a half taken out of one his legs in an effort to make both legs the same length. None of the aforementioned slowed my brother down as a kid or young man. He could be still caught climbing trees, riding four wheelers, jumping off of the three-legged buoy and anything else that any other kid did. Later in life he had a hip replacement to help alleviate the pain that he had lived with for so many years.  My brother has been the Crew Chief on a top-notch race team (Lewis Brothers Racing) LOL!! He is a master on the smoker (Lewis Brothers Barbecue). He is a fabricator of anything that comes into his head no matter what the material is to be used, metal, wood, fiberglass, etc.

There is so much more that I want to tell you about how special my brother is, but I am hoping the little bit of what I have shared with you above paints the picture of who he is. My Brother is going to beat this disease through shear will and fortitude and with love and support from his family, friends and anybody that has a “Ryan” in their life. That person that leaves a mark on your life. That big burly guy that gives everybody hugs, whether they are ready or not!!

I want to thank all the medical staff at Riverside Regional Medical, especially the amazing, selfless people working tirelessly on the Oncology, Surgical ICU, and the Oncology ICU floors. You all are incredible and do an impeccable, yet thankless job. I also want to thank Dr. Kessler and Dr. Chang at Virginia Oncology Associates for what they continue to do for my brother. You could not ask for a better group of doctors to look after your loved ones than these Doctors and for that I am thankful.

            In short, I would trade places with my brother in a heartbeat so that he would not have to endure the treatments, the pain, and everything that is coming with this journey that he has set sail on. There is one thing that I can help with and that is working to ensure that my brother is not going to be stressed over finances during this most trying time in his life. The financial stress would be enough to kill a normal man alone. So, I ask you to please STAND WITH RYAN LEWIS, anything that you can do is greatly appreciated, more than words could ever explain. Please share this page with everybody that you know and ask them to share it with everybody that they know. Once we get Ryan through this disease we want to pass it forward and help others just as we have in the past.