Ryc Williamson

Friends, Family and other loved ones. Thanks so much for your healing energy coming to Ryc and all of us, his family and friends. You will find a bit about this journey that we have begun together in the story and the journaling here in Caringbridge.  In brief, Ryc was admitted to OHSU under observation because of a discrepancy in a blood test. It's a good thing. A week later he was diagnosed with stage 4 Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. It is a very aggressive cancer that only really started showing itself a month earlier as he began to retain fluid in his abdomen.  Another week later (still in the hospital and visiting the intensive care unit twice) he finished the first round of chemotherapy...R-CHOP.   All in all we were in the hospital for over two weeks. Then we gratefully stayed at a friends air conditioned home above the Willamette for a week. The good news is that the cancer immediately started being eliminated, the fluids are draining, Ryc is home and eating, walking around, resting, checking out the internet and emails, exercising (a bit), resting, taking medications, resting, etc. He is actually looking pretty darn good! He/we have that journey ahead of us that so many people have taken. The plan, at this point, is to have six chemo treatments. One every few weeks. This process has been very successful with the kind of cancer he has, so we are very hopeful.    Now we begin from where we are.    Blessed be and spread the love.


This is from the beginning of this story:
Please keep Papa Rico, Ryc Williamson in your thoughts and prayers. He is not feeling well and has been in the hospital since Tuesday, July 18. He had been fighting pneumonia with a round of heavy duty antibiotics. His doctor did some blood work and an X-ray showed the pneumonia was still present. Because of some concerns in the blood work, she recommended he go to the ER. He was in observation at the OHSU ER for two days and has been admitted since Thursday. 

It is not clear what is going on, but he is getting a lot of testing done and we are waiting for some clarity. His blood sugar levels are fluctuating, rising and falling. An ultra-sound showed non-alcohol induced cirrhosis of the liver, likely due to complications of diabetes. This means his liver is not currently functioning well and he was retaining lots of fluid. Yesterday they drained a gallon of liquid off of his abdomen. We are currently awaiting a cat scan, but due to his kidneys being in distress we have had to wait. The cat scan is hopefully going to answer some questions about concerning "spots" in his body that the X-ray and ultrasound have shown, but it is unclear as to what they are. 


As many of you know Papa Rico has kept his diabetes in good control through exercise and healthy eating. Up until a month ago he was paddling the Willamete River, the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Cortez, Lake Waldo and any other place he could get to. It's been a drastic and rapid decline from the healthy guy we all know. We are hoping, praying and waiting for his recovery to begin and we thank you for your loving support.