CaringBridge.org - ryanlukkarinen

Ryan Joshua Lukkarinen

Welcome to Ryan's World! Ryan is kind-hearted teenager who always sees the positive in things. He loves to read, ride his bike, and play chess. Ryan is an Eagle Scout, runs cross-country, and is a percussionist in the MHS band and an excellent pianist. Ryan is very active in his faith and enjoys volunteering his time to help others. He is a wonderful son and a terrific big brother.

Ryan was diagnosed with a Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma on August 24, 2004. He underwent a posterior fossa craniectomy on August 27, 2004 at the University of Iowa Hospital. The surgeon was only able to partially resect the mass. Subsequent MRIs showed progressive growth by the cyst/tumor. Additional surgery was deemed necessary following an MRI on 1/19/05. Tara and I decided to investigate other facilities for surgery. After extensive research, and a trip to North Carolina to meet with a neurosurgeon and neuro-oncologist, we elected to schedule Ryan's surgery with the Brain Tumor Center at Duke University. Ryan had surgery on 2/11/05. This time, the surgeon was able to get a total resection. An MRI the following day confirmed the excellent results.

Since his second surgery, Ryan has had fifteen follow up MRIs. All fifteen scans were clear and Ryan is doing very well. We are celebrating 15 years of being tumor free in 2020!

As a result of Ryan's battle with a brain tumor and the excellent care he received at Duke, our family decided to do something positive to help others who are affected by brain tumors. We created "Team Lukkarinen" to raise funds for research and clinical trials at The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke through their annual Angels Among Us 5K and Family Fun Walk. We've raised over $26,700 thus far. Team Lukkarinen will be participating in Angels Among Us again in 2020. For more information on how you can help, send me an e-mail at rj_luke@yahoo.com. For more information on Angels Among Us click on the banner below.

Journal Tuesday, December 3, 2019 9:50 AM CST It's been quite some time since I've updated Ryan's page. Time has been flying by and Ryan is doing great. He is a senior in high school this year. He ran cross country again this fall and is keeping very busy with his classes. He's taking three AP courses and a college class and that consumes most of his spare time. We're very proud of Ryan for becoming an Eagle Scout this fall! It is the culmination of several years of hard work. Ryan is on the bowling team this winter and when he can manage the time he participates with a robotics team as well. The school year is nearly half over and it will be graduation time before we know it. Ryan is still figuring out what he wants to do in college, but he is currently leaning towards majoring in chemistry with a possible double major in history or English. We know whatever he decides he will do great at it. Thanks for stopping by. Read Journal History Sign and View Guestbook View Photos Links: http://hope.abta.org American Brain Tumor Association http://www.pbtc.org/ Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium http://www.braintumor.org/ National Brain Tumor Foundation

E-mail Author: rj_luke@yahoo.com

Celebrate someone you love with a Tribute Gift to CaringBridge

Your gift will help millions of people stay connected with friends and loved ones during challenging times.

This page has been viewed 17134 times.

Note: The foregoing information was authored by the patient, parent or guardian, or other parties who are solely responsible for the content. Such announcements or their content are not necessarily endorsed by CaringBridge, Inc. or any sponsoring agent. This information does not confirm that anyone is or was actually a patient at any facility.

Copyright Policy \| Privacy Policy \| Terms of Use \| Donate \| How to Help \| Contact Us \| FAQs
Copyright © 1997-2005 CaringBridge, a nonprofit organization. All rights reserved.