In the summer of 2008 Ryan received some staggering news when he learned of his cancer diagnosis. At age 24, he felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. His mother and aunt were there to support him during his treatment at Shands, a hospital located in Gainesville, Florida. It was there that Ryan was referred to Dreams of a Lifetime by Clayton Guthrie. It was no secret that Ryan was a huge Miami Hurricanes fan. His dream was to see the Hurricanes play the Florida Gators in the Gainesville stadium, also known as the Swamp, which he could see directly from his hospital window!

And then, although Ryan was already dealing with enough hardships, more staggering news came in. Ryan's father passed away 4 weeks before the date of the big game. Dreams of a Lifetime did not receive his referral until 2 weeks after the terrible and very tragic news. As if cancer was not enough, Ryan was now forced to deal with losing his father as well. Now, more than ever, Ryan needed to realize his dream to give him a sense of hope, encouragement and inspiration.

It wasn't until just days before the game that Ryan found out his dream actually was coming true. When the Dream Team walked into Ryan's hospital room to give him the good news, he was still dazed and emotionless from all of the recent trauma that he was currently dealing with. When the big question came "So, what are you doing on Saturday?", it took Ryan a while for it all to sink in. Sitting in the untraditionally decorated hospital bed, with a Hurricanes blanket draped over his legs and a Hurricanes shirt on, Ryan was told he will be sitting in the Champions Club watching the Hurricanes play the Gators. Dreams of a Lifetime also gave Ryan a bunch of Hurricanes gear including a number two jersey, some shirts, and even a Fossil Hurricanes watch in order to make sure he would be properly dressed for the occasion. Ryan fell in love with the watch, telling the Dream team how he had been trying to find one for sometime!

On Sept. 6, Ryan was picked up and driven right up to the entrance of the stadium. A true privilege as the other 90,000 people in attendance watched with jealously. He enjoyed the beautiful day, sitting in the stands eating food with his mom and then watching the game in the Champions Club. He and his mom finally got that much needed break from family tragedy and cancer treatments by spending quality time and sharing Ryan's dream together. His happiness could not be hidden as he was surrounded by the high energy that no doubt comes with watching a great football game in "the Swamp".

Even after all of the struggles that Ryan had been through, he was so unselfishly grateful to have had this dream granted. He thanked Dreams of a Lifetime for the wonderful day, reminding them that what they are doing is a great thing, and gave him the hope and inspiration to persevere. Ryan said after the game "Man those two defenses"…"Thank you so much!!!... God bless you for what you do!"