I’m 7 years old. I live in Columbia, Missouri and I have two siblings – Brady (age 9) and Charli (age 4). I like playing with my brother and sister and my friends. I love anything that involves clothes, make-up and fashion. When I grow up, I want to be a gymnastics teacher, a fashion designer or a make-up artist.
When I was 5 years old, I was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma. Through our family’s journey, we’ve been able to raise $400,000 for pediatric cancer research!
As a Candlelighters NYC kid, I have a lot of favorite experiences. One of them is seeing The Nutcracker and going backstage with Ashley – a volunteer who is also a dancer for the New York City Ballet! Other experiences include riding on the FDNY Marine 1 boat and going to fashion shows. My parents say the big outing activities are great but they love the impromptu, little get-togethers at Barbara’s since they bring a little piece of “normalcy” to our crazy lives. The feeling of such closeness (even though we are thousands of miles away from home) is something so special and genuine. And knowing that Barbara and all her volunteers are there for us literally at the drop of a hat is something that is so important in this journey.
…And my family uses these words to describe Candlelighters NYC: Genuine, love, fun, special, family
Click here to donate to Candlelighters NYC in honor of Rhyan.