“Reason this person is a Gold Ribbon Hero: Ryan is my hero, my Superman due to his outrageous amount of strength he shows in life. He was diagnosed with Pediatric Follicular Lymphoma in May of 2012 (age 14), after overcoming a brain injury the prior year in football and overcoming 17 surgeries that took part of his hearing due to recurring Cholesteatomas since age 5. He looked at me the day of his diagnosis and informed me that like everything else in life, we would overcome this obstacle in life. After 3 years at the age of 17, he still hopes to hear those magical words, “cancer free”. He goes through life like a normal teen, only telling his closest friends and living life to the fullest.” – Dawn S.