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.