Hundreds show to support Hess family

Saturday at Lake Sahuarita was a day of celebration for nearly 300 members of the community. Celebration of a winning fight against cancer. Celebration of the courage and faith of one young man and his family. And celebration of neighbors and friends who have come together to help one of their own in the fight of his life.

All these people came to Lake Sahuarita to participate in the Ryan Hess Benefit Auction and Concert in a show of support for Ryan Hess, 29, a Sahuarita man stricken with a rare type of cancer earlier this year. Hess is married to Margie, and they are the parents of two small children, Hallie, 6, and Max, 2.

At the beginning of the auction, an announcement was made that thrilled the crowd and resulted in a standing ovation: “This week we received wonderful news. We found that there are now no traces of cancer in Ryan’s bone marrow.”

In June, Hess was diagnosed with an extremely aggressive form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma known as T-cell lymphoma. His treatment included intensive chemotherapy and, in September, a bone marrow transplant from his brother. Even given the current good prognosis, Hess’ medical team estimates it will be at least one year before he can return to work.

At the time of his diagnosis, Hess was finishing up his first year as a podiatry resident at the Veterans’ Administration in Tucson. He has since used the last of his vacation time and he is the sole provider for his young family.

At present, the Hesses are relying on the generosity of family and friends to help with medical and day-to-day living expenses. The Ryan Hess Benefit Auction and Concert was the primary event organized by a group of friends, dubbed TeamRyanHess, to help provide financial support for Hess and his family during his illness and recovery.

“We raised about $11,000 at the benefit auction,” said Mindy Burns, key organizer of TeamRyanHess. “That is over three months of living expenses for Ryan and his family, and all the funds go directly to them.

Hess and his wife Margie attended the auction to meet and thank his many supporters.

“The auction was a huge success,” he said. “We can’t thank Mindy Burns and her team enough. Many people came up to me and told me what a great time they were having. One of the best parts of the day for me was to be able to meet many of the people who have been cheering me on throughout this battle with cancer. This community has really come together to help our family, and we are truly grateful.”

Jeannie Applegate is a freelance writer in Sahuarita. Contact her at wordwizard/@cox.net.

HOW TO HELP

If you are a federal employee (other than the U.S. Postal Service), you can donate paid time off to be used as sick leave for another federal employee. Go to your human resources department and ask to donate paid time off to Ryan Hess with the Veterans’ Administration. Each federal agency has its own form. Email or fax the completed form to: Olivia McClure, Benefits Specialist, Tucson Veterans’ Administration; email olivia.mcclure@va.gov; or fax to 520-629-1849. Her number is 520-792-2450, Ext. 6076.

Make a direct donation to the Hess family at any Wells Fargo Bank.

For more information, to make donations or send messages of support, email goteamryanhess@gmail.com; go to teamryanhess.blogspot.com; or go to Facebook: Team Ryan Hess.