LOUISA COUNTY, Va. — A terminally ill Louisa child is getting the chance to enjoy being a normal seven-year-old boy while running circles around his parents.
“He's so happy!” said Ryan Herring’s mother Amanda Herring.
Laura French, with the help of Virginia Credit Union, surprised rising second-grader Ryan Herring with his very own mini electric motorcycle with a personalized decal as part of CBS 6 Gives.
“He was a completely normal kid, and he went to sleep one night and didn't wake up the next day,'' said Herring. “Took him to the doctor, they said it was just viral. Long story short, took him to UVA emergency room, we had an MRI, and that's where things changed.”
Ryan was diagnosed with a diffuse leptomeningeal glioneuronal tumor in March 2019 and has endured multiple brain surgeries and has traveled the country in search of treatment options.
Ryan’s cancer is in his brain and spine and causes him to have seizures and trouble eating among other debilitating side effects through the years.
“With Ryan's cancer, there is no cure for it,” Herring said.
“There are no other options left for him, we have radiation, but that's not going to give him a good quality of life. So, we have decided right now, we're not wanting to do that. Because we want him to be happy and just live life to the fullest and that's what we do every day,” said Herring.
“They gave him 12 months when he was diagnosed, and March 11, was three years. 36 months since then, so he's, he's out, he's beat that,” Herring added.
“He's a happy kid. I could not make him as happy without truly the love and support that I have gotten from my friends and like our community, like they have supported us 100% and without them and everybody else like you guys and everybody. Like we wouldn't be able to do it,” Herring added.
CBS 6 Gives is made possible by Virginia Credit Union. Have an idea about who we should surprise next,
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