Two Cancer Crusaders Struck Down With The Disease

Darrin Moss and Ryan Daley are the best of friends.

They’re more like brothers than pals and they do everything together – including raise funds to help fight cancer.

So it’s a painful and ironic twist of fate that both should be diagnosed with the same form of the disease within a few months of each other – leukemia.

The Markham men are dealing with the challenge the way they do everything else – with optimism, strength and a sense that nothing will beat them.

Still, it was hard to keep their spirits up when they first learned they had the disease.  

“I was devastated that a close friend was going to endure this battle but at the same time, it was quite comforting knowing that we were going to be able to go through it together,” Darrin responds.

The two friends undergo chemotherapy at Princess Margaret Hospital. But Ryan has run into a new roadblock on the street to getting well – he needs a bone marrow transplant and is looking for a donor.

His sister is the only one who might have helped him, but she doesn’t match. Now Ryan is praying someone out there will hear about his plight and get tested.

“Hopefully somebody is out there for me,” he says simply.  

And despite the odds and the struggles ahead, both are staying optimistic. “I think we are stronger as friends and brothers in this battle,” Ryan suggests.  

But they’d be even stronger with your support. A fundraising golf tournament scheduled for Saturday is sold out. But to find out how to get tested to see if you’re a bone marrow donor match click here or here.

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What Is Leukemia?

It’s a cancer that starts in the white blood cells, which are responsible for fighting off infections and destroying bacteria.

There are different types of white blood cells and the type of leukemia you have depends on the cells it’s affecting and how quickly it develops.

What Are The Different Types Of Leukemia?

• acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
• acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
• chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
• chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)

For more on each type of leukemia, click here.

Each type requires a different treatment.

What Are The Risk Factors?

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, there is no single cause, but a number of factors that increase the risk of developing a certain type of leukemia:

Age: some types of leukemia are more prevalent in children, while others affect adults.

Radiation: Leukemia may develop after years of high exposure to radiation.

Genetics: Some genetic disorders, including Down’s syndrome, increase the risk of acute leukemia.

Related Illness: The risk of developing AML (acute mylogenous leukemia) increases in people who have other diseases affecting the bone marrow, exposure to the chemical benzene, or exposure to certain cancer treatment drugs.

Many people develop the disease without any of the above risk factors.

What Are The Signs And Symptoms?

Having the following signs doesn’t mean you have leukemia, but you may want to contact your doctor because they could be caused by other problems:

• bruising and bleeding
• small pinpoint rash on the skin
• constant tiredness
• loss of appetite
• weight loss
• pale complexion
• shortness of breath
• heart palpitations
• general feeling of being unwell
• frequent infections
• fever
• night sweats
• enlarged lymph nodes in the groin, neck or armpit
• abdominal discomfort
• pain from an enlarged liver, spleen or lymph nodes
• joint pain
• headache with vomiting, visual disturbances or seizures

Information courtesy of the Canadian Cancer Society

For more information, visit the Lymphoma and Leukemia Association of Canada’s website.