Ryan Mandryk

My name is Ryan Mandryk, and on February 7th, 2025, my life changed when I was diagnosed with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. In an instant, everything shifted into a before cancer and after cancer that I never could have prepared for.

Before this, I had never been seriously sick, just the occasional seasonal cold, which I initially thought I was dealing with. What started like a simple December cold quickly escalated into debilitating fatigue, rapid weight loss, night sweats, and a swollen shoulder that led to further investigation and ultimately my diagnosis.

Since then, I have gone through more than 20 rounds of chemotherapy, numerous bone marrow biopsies and spinal taps, countless hospital stays, blood transfusions, and scans. During treatment, doctors also discovered a 6cm tumour on my right kidney, which ultimately led to the removal of my right kidney in the middle of my treatment.

I was also able to receive three rounds of Blinatumomab immunotherapy, which helped me reach an even deeper remission. Thankfully, I felt relatively normal while on it, which gave me a stretch of time that felt closer to “normal.” I was able to enjoy most of my summer, spending time with friends and family, playing golf with my immunotherapy bag trailing behind, and even attending my best friend’s wedding as the best man, something I initially did not think I would make it to. Those moments meant more than I can say.

In September 2025, I underwent an allogeneic stem cell transplant, which my doctors determined was my only curative path forward and my best chance of staying in remission, and I am currently continuing to recover.

Through it all, I have been cared for by the team at Juravinski Hospital and supported by family, friends, and community in ways I will never be able to fully put into words.

This experience has changed how I see everything. The small things matter most now. A family dinner. A walk outside. Sleeping in my own bed.

I have learned that mindset is not just positive thinking; it is a decision. Some days you do not get to choose what is happening to you, but you do get to choose how you face it, and I have chosen to keep moving forward, one step at a time, no matter how hard that step is.

In October 2025, my family started a Light The Night team in my honour while I was in the middle of my stem cell transplant, and raised over $20,000, earning the Stronger Together Award, a national recognition that celebrates Friends & Family teams who turn personal battles into movements of hope.

This year and for years to come, we will continue to push forward in support of advancing critical research, improving patient outcomes, and giving more families hope for a future without blood cancer.