Ryan’s Journey
Donation protected
Ryan Thomson is fighting a battle that no child should have to fight – the fight against cancer.
Ryan is a is super active 14 year old, playing football and training 6 days a week. He plays for his community team at Stenhousemuir and had taken up boxing, running and is a keen climber amongst other sports.
After Christmas Ryan’s mum, Audrey, noticed him scratching his skin a lot to the point of breaking of the skin, with no signs of eczema or skin conditions. Initially thinking this an allergy Audrey began making changes to washing detergent to see if this made any difference to no success.
Alongside his itchy skin Ryan’s performance on the pitch declined, he was sluggish and not like his energetic self. More and more he was falling asleep after training when he would normally be on his Xbox or out with his friends as he is very social teenager.
Ryan is an identical twin and often competes with his brother, Kyle. They turn almost anything competitive as siblings do. After purchasing a set of electric scales, they often jumped on them to see who was gaining weight faster than the other. Initially it was a surprise that Ryan was lighter than his brother given he is better eater and had always been slightly bigger. Alarm bells began ringing to Audrey when the difference continued to grow, Ryan kept losing weight despite trying hard to do the opposite. At this point an appointment was made for the next week to see his GP.
Whilst waiting for the appointment Ryan developed a lump on his neck which he showed his mum – this looked like swollen glands and had quite a chesty cough. Audrey called Tryst Medical with the update and he was given a telephone appointment the very next day. After discussing the symptoms his Doctor asked them to come in so she could see the lump on his neck. The doctor had concerns and immediately asked Audrey to take Ryan to Forth Valley Hospital for further tests. Ryan had a chest X-Ray, an ultrasound and blood samples taken. Within a few hours Audrey was asked to come into a separate room with the Doctor where she was advised Ryan needed to go to Glasgow Children’s Hospital to run more scans. They were honest confirming that he would be staying in a cancer ward.
Ryan was transported by ambulance and admitted on 28th January 2022 and was immediately under observation. A surgical procedure was scheduled to remove some of the lumps form his neck to send for biopsies. Within 6 days after entering the Children’s Hospital and undergoing a series of tests (CT Scan, MRI Scan, PET Scan) it was confirmed Ryan had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a rare form of cancer. On the days that followed Ryan underwent surgery for a PIC line to be installed to allow for chemotherapy to begin. The consultant who was looking after Ryan commented on how resilient and upbeat he remained throughout the whole process.
Ryan began his Chemotherapy on 10th February 2022 with the first cycle running for 15 day. As Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is an aggressive form of cancer it had to be treated in the same way. This initial treatment floored Ryan but he still remained positive. When asked if anything may help one of his requests was for an Aquascutum cap since he was going to be losing his hair. To have some control over what he could while in Hospital Ryan decided to shave his own hair himself rather to wait for it to fall out.
Ryan’s spirits have really been lifted by all the messages of support and the kind generosity that people have shown him – from local to afar.
He’s been visited from a first team player at his football club, Cammy Graham, who has been through his own journey with cancer. He’s received messages from his favourite football players which have boosted his morale and has been shown support from a young boxer, Lee Welsh, who has been through his own journey with Lymphoma. The support from not just his own but other community teams, his school, his friends and now new friends has been heart-warming, I have put this page together as I have been friends with Audrey for 37 years, I have watched the twins grow up and this has been a massive shock to us all. When Audrey left the GP that day she locked her studio door and temporarily closed her business- The Willow Shack. Audrey being a sole parent said she didn’t have time to think about anything else, she just knew she had to be by Ryan’s side all the way through this. Ryan's twin brother has stayed with his big sister, Daryl.
I knew that I need to help her so this is why I set up this page. To help support the family through the challenging times ahead and if possible we aim to help Ryan get his dream of a man cave in this garden for him chill out in his own space as he won’t be able to do the same things this year he could normally. Lets make Ryan’s Journey easier for him ❤
Ryan starts his 2nd round of chemo today on 10th March. We will keep you updated. All donations are greatly appreciated. Ryan’s Uncle Geo has been supporting the family by running bonus ball competitions and other fundraisers. @geokoart @leewelsh #ryansjourney
Ryan is a is super active 14 year old, playing football and training 6 days a week. He plays for his community team at Stenhousemuir and had taken up boxing, running and is a keen climber amongst other sports.
After Christmas Ryan’s mum, Audrey, noticed him scratching his skin a lot to the point of breaking of the skin, with no signs of eczema or skin conditions. Initially thinking this an allergy Audrey began making changes to washing detergent to see if this made any difference to no success.
Alongside his itchy skin Ryan’s performance on the pitch declined, he was sluggish and not like his energetic self. More and more he was falling asleep after training when he would normally be on his Xbox or out with his friends as he is very social teenager.
Ryan is an identical twin and often competes with his brother, Kyle. They turn almost anything competitive as siblings do. After purchasing a set of electric scales, they often jumped on them to see who was gaining weight faster than the other. Initially it was a surprise that Ryan was lighter than his brother given he is better eater and had always been slightly bigger. Alarm bells began ringing to Audrey when the difference continued to grow, Ryan kept losing weight despite trying hard to do the opposite. At this point an appointment was made for the next week to see his GP.
Whilst waiting for the appointment Ryan developed a lump on his neck which he showed his mum – this looked like swollen glands and had quite a chesty cough. Audrey called Tryst Medical with the update and he was given a telephone appointment the very next day. After discussing the symptoms his Doctor asked them to come in so she could see the lump on his neck. The doctor had concerns and immediately asked Audrey to take Ryan to Forth Valley Hospital for further tests. Ryan had a chest X-Ray, an ultrasound and blood samples taken. Within a few hours Audrey was asked to come into a separate room with the Doctor where she was advised Ryan needed to go to Glasgow Children’s Hospital to run more scans. They were honest confirming that he would be staying in a cancer ward.
Ryan was transported by ambulance and admitted on 28th January 2022 and was immediately under observation. A surgical procedure was scheduled to remove some of the lumps form his neck to send for biopsies. Within 6 days after entering the Children’s Hospital and undergoing a series of tests (CT Scan, MRI Scan, PET Scan) it was confirmed Ryan had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a rare form of cancer. On the days that followed Ryan underwent surgery for a PIC line to be installed to allow for chemotherapy to begin. The consultant who was looking after Ryan commented on how resilient and upbeat he remained throughout the whole process.
Ryan began his Chemotherapy on 10th February 2022 with the first cycle running for 15 day. As Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is an aggressive form of cancer it had to be treated in the same way. This initial treatment floored Ryan but he still remained positive. When asked if anything may help one of his requests was for an Aquascutum cap since he was going to be losing his hair. To have some control over what he could while in Hospital Ryan decided to shave his own hair himself rather to wait for it to fall out.
Ryan’s spirits have really been lifted by all the messages of support and the kind generosity that people have shown him – from local to afar.
He’s been visited from a first team player at his football club, Cammy Graham, who has been through his own journey with cancer. He’s received messages from his favourite football players which have boosted his morale and has been shown support from a young boxer, Lee Welsh, who has been through his own journey with Lymphoma. The support from not just his own but other community teams, his school, his friends and now new friends has been heart-warming, I have put this page together as I have been friends with Audrey for 37 years, I have watched the twins grow up and this has been a massive shock to us all. When Audrey left the GP that day she locked her studio door and temporarily closed her business- The Willow Shack. Audrey being a sole parent said she didn’t have time to think about anything else, she just knew she had to be by Ryan’s side all the way through this. Ryan's twin brother has stayed with his big sister, Daryl.
I knew that I need to help her so this is why I set up this page. To help support the family through the challenging times ahead and if possible we aim to help Ryan get his dream of a man cave in this garden for him chill out in his own space as he won’t be able to do the same things this year he could normally. Lets make Ryan’s Journey easier for him ❤
Ryan starts his 2nd round of chemo today on 10th March. We will keep you updated. All donations are greatly appreciated. Ryan’s Uncle Geo has been supporting the family by running bonus ball competitions and other fundraisers. @geokoart @leewelsh #ryansjourney
Fundraising team: Brenda & Daisy Stewart (2)
Brenda Stewart
Organizer
Scotland
Audrey Thomson
Beneficiary
Daisy Stewart
Team member
