As a high school quarterback and lacrosse player, Tommy Ryan already knew plenty about teamwork, grit, and determination. But nothing could prepare 17-year-old Tommy and his loving family for a harrowing cancer journey that would require the removal of one of Tommy’s lungs, a 150-day hospitalization, and a hard-fought struggle to regain the strength to move and walk again.

Tommy’s long road began in April 2025 when he was diagnosed with a blood cancer called B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, better known as B-ALL. This is the most common childhood cancer, and it usually has a good prognosis. Tommy, however, was found to have a particularly aggressive subtype, called Philadelphia +B-ALL. Even worse, he developed a rare fungal lung infection that forced MSK doctors to stop intensive chemotherapy and immediately schedule surgery.

“The infection destroys the lung tissue and can damage blood vessels and airway structures,” explains pediatric hematologist-oncologist Maria Luisa Sulis, MD, who led Tommy’s care at MSK Kids. MSK thoracic surgeon James Isbell, MD, performed a high-stakes surgery that removed Tommy’s infected left lung.

A possibly fatal outcome was averted, but Tommy then faced a grueling recovery that required everything from rebuilding his ability to breathe with the Respiratory Therapy team to regaining the strength to move his limbs with the help of physical and occupational therapists. This mighty effort forced him to stay at MSK for more than four months, testing him and his family to their limits. 

Thanking the MSK Kids Team 

Tommy’s family chronicled every step of his journey with photos and videos — his smallest victories, his setbacks, his flashes of joy and humor, and his indomitable willpower — which they shared this summer on Good Morning America. They also meticulously documented the compassion that MSK staff showed Tommy. 

Soon after Tommy returned home from MSK, his father, Dan Ryan, wrote a heartfelt letter to MSK Hospital President Shelly Anderson, MPM: “Although we were going through the most challenging times of our lives, we have met some of the finest people and would like to bring them to your attention. We want to let you know what a great job they are doing…”

Throughout the letter, he recounted acts great and small that helped Tommy’s recovery, including:

• The nurses who spent more than an hour carefully getting him out of bed to safely transport him outside for a few precious minutes of fresh air and sunshine when he was in a medically fragile state.
• Social worker Nora Fleming, whose chats with Tommy about anything except cancer could make the disease fade into the background for at least a little while.
• The kindness of people like Judy Hernandez from Food and Nutrition Services who brought nutritious meals and good cheer that helped ease the stress for Tommy’s worried family.

Dan named some 50 staff members who helped care for Tommy at MSK Kids. “Everybody gave 110% — they are a special breed of people,” Dan says. “Today, Tommy is even beginning to run a little bit, and he’s gaining back strength and pushing himself a little more each day.”

This is the story of Tommy’s recovery — which is still unfolding — in words and pictures.