Ryan was 16 when he was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in November 2010. He was a tall lad for his age (6’2”) and very fit, he had played rugby, football, judo, horse riding, and latterly tennis. He started with an annoying dry cough, which we eventually got checked out. He had various scans and a bronchoscope. At the conclusion of the examination my worst fears were realised when the oncologist told me that his windpipe was full of tumour, and the prognosis wasn’t good. I was tasked with telling Sue, and the sounds I heard that day still haunt my dreams. To be honest I’m in tears as I write this. The next day I received a call from the oncologist saying that the biopsy results of the flap of material removed during the examination was in fact Aspergillus, or lung fungus, and could be treated by antibiotics. He said he was confused because it didn’t look like Aspergillus on the x-rays, so he booked him in for a lung biopsy which ultimatelyconfirmed it was indeed cancer. The really bad news was that the cancer in his lungs had metastasised from somewhere else. Eventually it was found to have originated from the top of his left tibia. 

Ryan’s treatment started and I can only describe it as hell. It was 5 days in, and 9 days out recovering from each dose of Chemo. The effects on Ryan were profound; loss of hair, skin problems, nausea, sleeplessness, lethargy etc, etc. When he was home, Sue had to wash his bedding every day as his lips would stick to his sheets or pillow and would literally pull them off his face when he moved his head. Despite the intense pain, he never once complained and would get up and begin his day. This treatment lasted from January to September 2011 and looked to have had an effect, although not as profound as had been hoped. The problem with Osteosarcoma is that it spreads small cancerous bone fragments that collect in fine filters throughout the body; the lungs, liver and kidneys are particularly vulnerable, and Ryan had tumours in his lungs and heart. The only way to get rid of them is through radical surgery, including removal of the bone at the primary site.  

In 2012 Ryan elected to go for a second round of chemo, but the most effective drugs had been used in the first treatment and had done so much permanent damage they couldn’t be used again. So, in July he had lung surgery which discovered he had multiple tumours that hadn’t shown up on scans and removal of them all would have destroyed all lung function, and it was likely his other lung would be the same. He recovered well from the surgery, but the tumours proceeded to quickly multiply and spread like crazy.

Our boy died at home on the 28th of October 2012 with Sue and I holding him as he passed. He is missed every single day. 

As an aside, on the same afternoon Margo our ex-racing Greyhound started with a limp, so Sue homed in on looking after her to try and fill the void of not having Ryan to look after. We eventually took Margo to the vet for an x-ray. You can imagine our shock to learn that she too had Osteosarcoma in her left leg, like Ryan, and it had spread to her lungs just like Ryan. Our lives have never been the same and never will be. We miss him so much. 

To stop any other family enduring the hell that Ryan, and a depressing number of his teenage friends, endured we have spent the last 11 years raising money for the Bone Cancer Research Trust. This group is dedicated to finding a cure for this horrible cancer that typically affects the very young and the very old.

Peter from the Sports Maserati Forum, who is cycling 1,135 miles from London to Valencia, at the ripe old age of 74, has very kindly, allowed us to take advantage of his mega marathon cycle ride to raise funds for the BCRT. Thank you, Peter, your generosity is very much appreciated.