Mildred Ryba, from the CME Group, and her family could be celebrating the fact that their son Beckett hit the five-year mark since he was diagnosed with a pediatric brain tumor in May 2016.  However, that traditional milestone that many cancer patients observe, is not so for the Ryba family.  Instead they are fighting through six-year-old, Beckett’s third chemo treatment after a harrowing, near-death hospitalization the entire month of December 2015. 

Beckett has the best neurosurgeon’s at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, IL and still they were stumped.  The immediate solution was to continue having brain surgeries until they could relieve the intense inter-cranial, cerebral-spinal fluid pressure causing his heart rate and breathing to slow; not to mention the severe agony the pressure caused him.  As per the norm at Lurie’s they discussed Beckett’s case at the Brain Tumor Board and concluded that a two-year chemo protocol, the third attempt to kill B’s tumor, was the solution. 

This solution is hard for the Ryba’s to comprehend at times because these chemo drugs haven’t done anything to kill his tumor.  A tumor which cannot be surgically removed.  The drugs are essentially “old technology” from a science perspective, but yet the only option available to Beckett.  That is why the Ryba’s choose to support the Run For Gus charity event, sponsored by the Young Associates Board.  The Run for Gus directly benefits the Neuro-Oncology clinic Beckett uses at Lurie’s. 

The event is Thursday, July 28, 2016 at Diversey Harbor in Lincoln Park, 2430 N. Cannon Drive, Chicago, IL. 

The direct link to Beckett’s team can be found HERE.

Please consider donating, walking, running or forwarding this on so that together we can help to find new ways to fight pediatric brain tumors like Beckett’s.

Follow Beckett’s story on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BeckettsBattle.