UST fencing champ now battles brain disease, needs help

At 23, Ryan Lopez had much to look forward to. He had just been hired by a multinational bank after completing his degree in legal management when he started suffering from bouts of severe headaches, dizziness, vomiting, slurring speech and double vision.

In September, test results showed a hemorrhage in the brain, specifically the cerebellum which is close to the part which controls movement, speech and other vital functions. He underwent surgery to have the blood clots removed although subsequent tests showed the real cause—an abnormal tangle of vessels in the cerebellum.

This time, doctors have advised Ryan to undergo an angiogram to help prevent the formation of blood clots as well as to determine which treatment option would be best—an embolization, radiotherapy or another surgery.

However, his brain operation last year and the series of physical therapy sessions which followed have left Ryan and his family financially strapped.

“I just started my adult life. I’m raring to help my widowed mother and younger brother who just entered college,” he said in his letter to the Inquirer.

Ryan added that he used to be physically fit, having been a member of the University of Santo Tomas fencing team which won back-to-back championships at UAAP matches with him as one of the lead players.

“My prayer warriors and I pray hard that there are earthly angels out there who can help save my brain and life,” he said.

Ryan can be reached at 0917-6602387 or at [email protected]. Donations can be deposited into the BDO account of his brother, John Christopher Lopez (account number 1700131697).