My Story

James Gregory Ryan II is our precious blonde haired, blue eyed, tiny little man full of love, smiles and laughter. James was diagnosed with Leukemia on July 12, 2007 at the age of 13 months. Our journey with him through this trial begins here.

Everything is happening so fast, which is probably a blessing in disquise. James is a very active toddler. He, in hindsight, had grown a little more irritable and was bruising more easily. These things were not factors until that Thursday morning he woke up acting very lethargic and was found to have a low grade fever. A trip was planned for the next week, so as most of us parents would, Joy and Greg wavered a little before deciding to take James in to see the pediatrician. Dr. Elahee was in the office and noted that James looked pale. If you are reading at this site, you probably know that being "pale" is pretty normal in their sweet little family. She still decided to do a blood test there in the office. That led to more blood work at the local Woodlands hospital to confirm that James' counts were way off. They were then transferred to the medical center in Houston where they were briefly at a children's hospital just for the evening before they got word that James preliminary diagnosis was indeed Leukemia. A midnight transfer to MD Anderson would take place. James received a blood transfusion to try and raise his platelet counts and help him begin to feel better. After a long night and day there, the diagnosis of Leukemia was confirmed.

Now we await the next steps. The beginning of chemotherapy, more bone marrow testing, and keeping a close watch on those blast cells. (the bad white blood cells) A confirmation of the type of Leukemia is also forthcoming, though it is most likely ALL.
It is a expected to be a long road, but by faith we believe that James, Joy and Greg (and soon to be little Adrianne) will become a stronger family and God will be glorified as James turns into a once again healthy young boy.