Friends plan 24-hour run to support Cocoa woman diagnosed with lung cancer

Michelle Anderson Ryan, 53, of Cocoa is an avid runner, hiker, backpacker and mountain biker.

On top of being an excellent athlete, she is also a loving mother and wife, as well as a devoted member of our community. Due to her strength, motivation and her courageous behavior, she is now and forever will be called “Wonder Woman” amongst her friends and community. 

Despite being an incredible athlete with no previous health concerns, during the summer of 2019, Michelle was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer.  

Before her diagnosis, Michelle acquired some back pain and started to notice a more frequent cough than what she had been used to. Given her history and dedication to being active, she attributed the symptoms she was experiencing to having overdone it at one of her evening CrossFit classes. However, as the symptoms progressed, she decided to see her doctor. 

After seeing her primary care doctor and weeks of testing, she was diagnosed with non-small cell adenocarcinoma, which had already metastasized to Stage 4, meaning the cancer was already in both lungs, lymph nodes and her bones.

This news, as it would many, left Michelle and her loved ones dumbfounded. She has never been a smoker of any kind, and she is dedicated to her active lifestyle. No one saw it coming.

Since her diagnosis, Michelle has felt the tremendous support of her friends and family, who assure that she will never fight this battle alone. As Michelle begins her third set of Chemo treatments, those around her continue to try and lift her spirits, as this will be the Chemo treatment that causes hair loss and other side effects.  

On Oct. 9, in the neighborhood where Michelle lives, her friends and family will run for 24-hours continuously with flags, signs of encouragement, music and food.

As her conditions have progressed, Michelle has been physically unable to do simple everyday tasks such as walking and running. This run will be a tribute to Michelle’s ongoing battle, as well as her strength and the unstoppable mannerisms that she has shown.

If you would like to show your support, please visit the GoFundMe link for Michelle and her family, located at: gf.me/u/y2hwcy. 

Michelle and her family hope that by sharing her story, they can encourage everyone to request early screenings for lung cancer so it can be detected before it spreads and becomes significantly worse.

Another way to support early screenings for lung cancer is by supporting organizations such as the American Cancer Society in researching a more efficient screening process in hopes to one day find a cure for cancer. 

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