LI Community Seeks Supporters For ‘Gentle Giant’ Battling Cancer

GLEN COVE, NY— Members of a Long Island community have organized a car parade this Saturday to boost the spirit of a local teenager who is undergoing chemotherapy as he battles a rare form of bone cancer that has metastasized.

Ryan Aguilar, a 16-year-old high school junior from Glen Cove, has osteosarcoma that originated in his right tibia and has now traveled to his hip.

Ryan, who his family calls “The Gentle Giant” because he stands at 6 feet 2 and is the “sweetest teenager around, with a smile stretching from ear to ear,” was diagnosed with cancer back in the fall.

“As big as he is, you would not know he is there,” said Aguilar’s mother, Deirdre Brown Aguilar, adding, “He is so quiet.”

The parade will be something to take the family’s minds off of Aguilar’s medical treatment during a particularly tough week, Deirdre said. On Wednesday night, Aguilar underwent imaging tests to check to see where he is at in his treatment, and until those results are back, the Aguilar family does not know what the future brings, she said.

But Aguilar, who loves Marvel Comics, listening to Post Malone and writing fan fiction, is taking everything in stride and holding his own, his mom says.

“If his outside is as good as his inside, I would say that he is great,” Deirdre said.

The teen was supposed to start learning to drive this spring, but instead underwent cancer treatment and physical therapy and prepared for surgery so that he will be able to walk again, she said.

Aguilar’s diagnosis occurred during the pandemic when he started walking with difficulty and complaining of leg pain. An orthopedist found a lesion on his tibia and he was diagnosed in November.

It’s a day that forever changed the lives of the Aguilar family, including Deirdre; his father, Raul; and his younger brother, Jaden, 14.

Since then, Aguilar’s treatment plan has included chemotherapy as well as surgery, and follow-up chemotherapy to attack any cancer possibly left behind A GoFundMe page has been set up to help his family with expenses related to his treatment.

Aguilar’s team of doctors have been not only knowledgeable, but also “supportive, and compassionate,” said Deirdre, who added that the family “never could have dreamed of” the support they have seen from the community. She added that they are looking forward to the parade.

The parade, which was planned by neighbors who are familiar with Aguilar’s struggle, will leave by 10:15 a.m. from Dennis Brian Murray Dog Park, at 12 Leech Circle South in Glen Cove. Members of the community are asked to decorate their car with gold as a show of support for childhood cancer awareness, according to a recent Patch post by Roni Jenkins, a neighbor of the Aguilar family, who helped organize the parade.

“Let's cheer up this brave 16-year-old as he continues his cancer journey. We support you, Ryan!,” Jenkins wrote.

Deirdre said that it would be great if even two people attended the parade, saying that she is still so impressed by the overwhelming support she and her family have seen, both in the financial and the spiritual sense.

“Donations are great, but prayers go even further,” Deirdre said. “Just continue the prayer train.”

For more information about the parade for Aguilar, visit https://www.facebook.com/group...

For updates on Aguilar’s Osteosarcoma journey, go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/389674575632380.

GoFundMe is a Patch Media partner.