26 August 2016, we received the gut-wrenching news that haematology consultants at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff believed Ryan had a very rare form of Lymphoma, known only to Asian and Latin American populations of men over the age of 50.
There were still further tests needed as a few experts were baffled to see this cancer in a 14 year old Western European Caucasian boy. We were given the confirmation diagnosis of EBV positive NK/T-cell non-Hodgkin Lymphoma on 2 September 2016. Steroid Chemo started while planning began ready for 5 weeks of intense Radiotherapy before commencing 6 months of SMILE chemotherapy protocol.
Ryan's medical team consists of haematologists, pathologists, histologists and immunologists who all agree that Ryan's episode of Glandular Fever in 2015 set off a chain reaction of the Epstein-Barr virus invading his T-cells ultimately causing the cancer.
Over the next few posts I will tell you the story of how we came to this fretful day and diagnosis. I hope you stay with us, share our story and hopefully help others on their own cancer journeys.
You can follow our journey at bellybuttonpanda.co.uk
