It takes a village
Angelique Flores
HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Friends, teachers, scout and church groups united
over the weekend to help raise money for 15-year-old Ryan Bates.
The Surf City youth is in the intensive care unit at Children’s
Hospital of Orange County battling cancer.
A group of 400 showed up at the benefit concert held at Edison High
School in Huntington Beach on Sunday and raised an undisclosed amount of
money for the family.
Bands such as Arkham, The Arrogants, Fat Toby, Flip’n Whiteys and It’s
Time to Rock played a benefit concert to help the Bates family with daily
expenses and hospital bills. A single mother of two boys, Debby Bates has
been on medical family leave with no pay since her son Ryan was diagnosed
in February.
“I think it was really nice that everyone did that for me,” Ryan said.
Phyllis Bailey, whose son is friends with Ryan, conceived the idea of
a fund-raiser and gathered support from the community. She asked her
older son, Ben, if he and his band would be interested in having a
benefit concert.
From there, the idea snowballed. Ben called other bands to perform.
Local businesses donated prizes for raffles. Papa John’s Pizza sold food,
giving the Bates all the profits. Community members sold baked goods.
Everyone from the security guard to those manning the booths donated
their time, services and goods.
“Most of the people that worked did not know them,” Bailey said.
Ryan is a freshman at Edison High and was diagnosed with cancer for
the second time. He had been in remission for the last six years after
beating lymphoma, a disease he was diagnosed with at 7.
The boy was healthy for several years, enjoying ice hockey,
snowboarding and skiing while the Bates’ lived in Vail, Colo. After
moving to Surf City a few years ago, Ryan tried surfing and knee
boarding.
Then last year, Ryan felt soreness in his legs. Having grown five
inches in a year, his doctor’s told him it was growing pains. But he
started limping and the pain became unbearable. In February, he was
diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma.
“It didn’t really make me angry or sad, but I’m just trying to get
myself better,” Ryan said.
Ryan has been at CHOC since Feb. 23, but he only remembers being there
a week. He was on a respirator, but is now breathing on his own. Ryan’s
legs had a tumors the size of tennis balls. The tumors have shrunk after
radiation, but his legs are still swollen and sore.
Still unable to walk, Ryan undergoes radiation and physical therapy on
his legs.
But the outlook for Ryan isn’t good. He has about a 20% chance of
making it. If he does overcome the disease, Ryan will need major
reconstructive surgery on his hip.
“I’m unsure if we’ll be here another month or another six months or if
we’ll even make it that far,” Bates said.
Bates has been virtually living at CHOC hospital for five weeks. She
is at the hospital 22 hours a day. Ryan’s brother, 12-year-old Darren,
joins here straight from school as well.
“The huge outpour of love from the community is unbelievable,” Bates
said.
Friends bring movies, food and donations to the Bates. Most of the
staff at Sowers Middle School where Ryan attended have visited him at the
hospital. Mothers in Touch, a group of Christian mothers from Sowers
school, have brought food baskets and books.
“It makes me feel real good that I have good friends that care about
me so much. I’m just really thankful for people like the Baileys,” Ryan
said.
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