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Ryan William Shea, PhD July 1 1986 - December 5 2019

Ryan was a loving husband, a proud son, a supportive brother, an adoring uncle, and a beloved grandson, nephew, and cousin to his large extended family and in-laws. Family was a huge part of his life. From a young age Ryan was drawn to technology and showed a passion for problem solving and engineering, taking things apart and figuring out how they worked, that he carried with him into his academic career in Computer Science at SFU. He loved to have a project and his interests ranged from electronics and computing, to finance, gardening, cooking, brewing, and jewelry making. He loved nothing more than to draw a friend, family member, or colleague into a new idea he had for a project or topic he was learning about. He was intensely curious, and his knowledge was extensive, but he was always keen to learn more.

Ryan was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in May 2018. He went through an aggressive treatment of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy with determination and hope, but in July 2019 his cancer returned and quickly spread.

Ryan was fortunate to be enrolled in the Personalized Onco-Genomics (POG) clinical trial, a cutting-edge research program based out of the BC Cancer Agency Vancouver. This program sequences the entire genome of a patient’s cancer cells, as well as their normal genome. It seeks to change the way cancer is treated by determining the mutations driving an individual’s cancer growth, and where possible using this information to guide personalised and targeted treatments. Ryan truly believed that this program represents the future of cancer care, and we were so impressed at the quality of research being done here in BC. Ryan’s POG results found unique mutations not previously identified in his type of cancer, advancing researchers knowledge of this disease, and identified targeted therapies which likely slowed his cancer’s growth, giving us hope and buying him valuable time with loved ones. Sadly, Ryan’s cancer was incredibly aggressive, and despite the amazing care he received from his oncologists at BCCA and the doctors and care team at VGH, his cancer progressed quickly. Throughout his illness Ryan remained his own brave, hopeful, and loving self.

Thank you, on behalf of Ryan's family, for contributing towards improved cancer treatments for all.

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