Just a few days after making his high school golf team, Dylan Ryan, 14, fainted at practice. It wasn't the first time. Dylan had fainted at another lesson with his coach, Adam Porzak, but, with the dry summers and high temperatures, both Ryan and Porzak assumed this was due to dehydration. What they didn't know was these were early symptoms of leukemia. This particular diagnosis of leukemia has been known to be rare for kids at Ryan's age, and has been commonly found in adults over the age of 65. What started out as a new season on the golf team quickly turned into a block in his career. "I made the golf team, which was an accomplishment, but now with the cancer, I'm just waiting to get back out there," said Ryan. Finding out this news was hard, but golf being taken away from Ryan's everyday life was harder. Coming from a golf family, he began to live and breathe the game at the early age of 1 when he received his own set of Winnie the Pooh golf clubs for his birthday. Ryan's parents knew there was something special with his game when they saw their son hit a plastic golf ball over their neighbor's fence. His love for golf flourished from there. His game only grew stronger at such a young age, getting his first par when he was only 2. "My favorite memory with Dylan was when we played at one of the hardest golf courses at the La Quinta Resort & Club - and he legitimately beat me," said Dylan's father, Scott Ryan. "I shot an 85 and he shot an 82. Seeing Tiger win at The Masters in 2019 had to be close second." Although the change in Ryan's life has taken a toll on his current golf career, Coach Porzak, with his connections in golf, has helped him start each day with positivity. The start was getting Ryan connected with PGA TOUR player Viktor Hovland. "Viktor was incredible in sending along a well thought out message to Dylan, and continues to stay in touch via text," said Ryan Henderson, VP, Marketing & Partnerships for Radegen. Hovland was one of the first TOUR players to reach out, but those to send messages of encouragement since have included Rickie Fowler, Ian Poulter and Justin Thomas. "There's some amazing golfers I'm rooting for right now at THE PLAYERS Championship, because they sent me amazing messages," said Ryan. "Those messages meant a lot to me, sincerely. I'll definitely be rooting for them." "This is the only thing keeping him happy right now," added his father. Though a hospital can lack resources to keep him entertained throughout the day, Dylan and his father found last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard to be the only entertainment they needed. Once the tournament was finished, the two pulled out a 100-foot mat to practice in open hallways. For Ryan, the process of chemotherapy and ridding of leukemia are just the start of the rest of his life. For his Family, this is only the start of paving the way forward. "My vision is for Dylan to use this as a foundation to pay it forward to other kids one day," said Scott. "I told Dylan that not all kids have these connections to receive such wonderful messages. This is an opportunity to be humble and help another kid in the future one day." Between the messages, the surprise gifts from different golf retailers and gifts from strangers - including a 2008 PGA Championship card from Oakland Hills of Tiger Woods as a rookie - these are all parts of Ryan's hope that golf will remain a part of his life forever. "I'm really appreciative of all of the support," he said. "I hope to help other kids like me. It brings a humungous smile on my face and I hope that other kids can get that too." One day, the golf family will be back together, with the father-son duo joining Dylan's two brothers, Taylor, 11, and Royce, 7, all out on the golf course. "Going through this is hard, but, lightening up the day with something golf related has been great for Dylan," said Scott. "I'm looking forward to trying out some new courses once I get through this," said Dylan.
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