About the Book
Run Because You Can is the first hand account of one young man’s journey
with cancer. Diagnosed during the start of his senior year in High
School, Ryan chose from day one to not be a victim of cancer. “Today
I found out that I had cancer …. My battle with cancer is only beginning;
I believe that it will be a long, hard-fought struggle, but I will overcome,
I will survive. And this will be a story of hope for others, not
only kids with cancer, but the world as well. I have a premonition
that this story will not end in me, but will carry on, above and beyond
myself and will bring hope. I will refuse to let cancer get the best
of me. I will not allow it to.” Ryan could have chosen a passive
course and allowed his illness to dictate how he would live his life, but
instead he chose to face cancer head-on and continued going to school,
playing sports and being involved in community activities. Ryan chose
to make a difference with the allotted time he was given on this earth.
Ryan talks about his disease bluntly and doesn’t mince words. It
is a factual account of his experiences from diagnosis, through treatment
till death. This book will make you cry, it will make you laugh but
hopefully it will inspire you to live your life to the fullest.
Excerpts from book:
“Success is not measured in what we have, rather in what we give
back. If we do not pass on the knowledge that others have taught
us, the compassion that others have shared, then in reality we have learned
nothing. And it is this knowledge, along with my determination, which
I plan to carry with me no matter where my life may lead.”
“If you, at any point in your life, have changed somebody’s life,
if you have made a difference in their life, in the world, then your life
has been a success. People so often forget that money can buy everything
except happiness. How did you make a difference today? What have you done
to help a stranger this week? The answers to these questions are what truly
matter in life, whether we realize that now or not. Life is so often overlooked,
taken for granted, expected. Carpe diem. Learn to live in the moment, for
that is all we have in our grasp. Take it upon yourself to go out and change
the world for the better, and do it today. Why wait? The one thing I have
learned from my experiences is that the most important thing ever taught
to me in high school was not from any book, test or novel. I had to find
it out on my own, as each person has to. I found who I am, who my friends
are, what I am made of and what I stand for. We so often forget that in
the end, we are left with one thing, friendships. For true friends are
the only things that last in this world. True friends are the people that
give up everything and ask for nothing in return. And when I leave this
place, I wish not to be remembered as the smartest, the brightest; the
one wish of mine is that when I leave someone will be able to say that
I made a difference in their life, that I gave them hope. I only hope that
I will be remembered as a true friend to those that I consider my true
friends, nothing more. And if this comes true, if I am remembered for helping
my friends as they have helped me, I will be a hero, as they already are.
And my life will be a success.”
“Every morning when I wake up, every time I laugh, every time I smile,
you lose. In my eyes, you aren’t even a disease; you are a nuisance,
a pest. Nothing more. And you don’t stand a chance, not with
me, nor with anyone here. You can’t hurt us, because you are fighting
alone. And we aren’t. I’m not. I never have been.
I never will be. And neither will they. My life goes on, and
you will die knowing that you not only lost, but that you are a failure.
You have failed to do everything you came to do. You don’t even deserve
to exist. But I do. We all do. We deserve to go on living,
we deserve to hope; we deserve to believe. That is why we will win.
Every time. The love and support coming from those around us will
help us fight, it will help us be strong, it will make us believe.
It has for me.”
About the Authors
Ryan Patrick Kishbaugh was born in Edison, NJ on July 26, 1984.
He grew up the middle of three sons. He had one brother, Chris who
was 18 months older and one brother, Sean who was 14 months younger.
After several moves around the country with the US Army the Kishbaugh family
finally settled in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1993. Ryan was
an exceptional young man who seemed to excel at everything he endeavored.
He was an outstanding student, graduating second in his HS Class and had
been accepted into Princeton University. He was an amazing athlete
and participated in soccer and basketball on the Varsity level. He
was also a dedicated volunteer and won the 2001 Governor’s Award for Outstanding
Volunteer Service. He was a devoted son, loving brother, faithful
friend and a true leader among his peers. Ryan was a very determined
and strong willed individual who was always willing to put in that little
extra. That is what set him apart. It was his willingness to
put in that little extra, whether it was in the classroom, on the soccer
field, on the basketball court, or battling cancer that led him to success
in all aspects of his short life.
Roberta Humphries is Ryan’s mother. Raised in NJ, Roberta graduated
from Moravian College with a BS in Medical Technology and from Webster
University with a MA in Health Services Management. Roberta currently
is a Realtor in Fayetteville, NC. After Ryan’s death Roberta ran a marathon
in Ryan’s memory and followed that with a 100 mile bike ride around Lake
Tahoe to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She founded
the Ryan P. Kishbaugh Memorial Foundation which raises funds to support
the Ryan P. Kishbaugh Writing Center, The Duke Pediatric Bone Marrow Unit,
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and other charitable causes that were
of interest to Ryan. Roberta is currently married to Paul Humphries
and in addition to her three sons (Chris, Ryan and Sean) she has a step-daughter,
Liz and a step-son, Joe. Roberta loves to read, cycle, go to the
beach and run.
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