He put cancer on ice.
asserted
He → put → ice
A young, devout Islanders fan who went through a near-death medical nightmare that cost him his left lung and put him in a coma had the biggest power play of his life this month — celebrating a full year cancer-free with his favorite hockey team in his corner.
“I definitely don’t take anything for granted,” 18-year-old Tommy Ryan told The Post.
asserted
Ryan → go → Post
“I try to live every day to the full, and I’m just happy,” added Ryan, who the Islanders have been treating like family for months and featured him in a team docuseries for his resilience.
asserted
Islanders → try → resilience
He joyfully returned to UBS Arena Thursday night as a regular fan with his girlfriend of three years, Emily, to watch the Isles beat the Blackhawks 4-1.
asserted
Isles → return → Blackhawks
“The hard work has paid off,” Ryan said.
asserted
Ryan → pay → ?
“I’m just super happy to be here — super happy to enjoy the game, and thankful for the Islanders, for everything they’ve done for me.
asserted
they → ’m → me
Ryan was diagnosed with rare B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia as a junior in high school when the talented football and lacrosse player suddenly struggled with routine training for his spring sport in 2025.
asserted
player → diagnose → 2025
“It was a strain called Philadelphia positive, which is a newer, aggressive type of leukemia,” he said.
asserted
he → call → leukemia
Ryan began chemo treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering when he contracted another extremely rare “black” fungal infection called mucormycosis while immunocompromised.
asserted
he → begin → infection
“It spread to all of my left lung, and they had to end up cutting the chemo plan short,” he said.
asserted
he → spread → plan
“Instead, doing an emergency surgery and removing my whole left lung, which was super super risky.”
asserted
which → do → lung
Ryan’s family knew there was a frighteningly high probability he wouldn’t survive the procedure and disguised what could have been their final goodbyes as pre-operation well wishes.
During an extensive 150 days in the hospital, 130 of which Ryan spent in the pediatric ICU, he used his beloved Isles as a saving grace to keep morale up — especially after watching them draft Matthew Schaefer.
uncertain
them → know → Schaefer
“Just talking about the Islanders, watching games, it always helped me keep my mind off of the bad stuff,” said Ryan, a Rockland County native whose lifelong love for the team came from his stepdad, Wayne.
asserted
love → talk → stepdad
When times were the darkest, and Ryan had to be placed in a five-day medically induced coma after the surgery for his infection, Wayne and other family kept him up to date on what was going on with the team while he was unconscious and afterward.
asserted
he → have → team
“I remember, especially when I was out of my coma, I couldn’t walk for months.
asserted
I → remember → months
I couldn’t talk for probably a solid month, and I couldn’t eat,” Ryan said.
asserted
Ryan → talk → month
“Everyone would just talk to me about the Isles that offseason.”
asserted
Everyone → talk → Isles
Ryan’s father, Dan, reached out to the Islanders and told the franchise what his boy was going through.
asserted
boy → reach → what
The team delivered big time by having the teen’s favorite player, Mat Barzal, FaceTime Ryan in his hospital bed in July 2025.
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player → deliver → July
“It was just a huge, huge thing that they did for me,” Ryan said.
asserted
Ryan → do → me
“It took my mind off of the illness and put me in a different state of mind.”
asserted
It → take → mind
Barzal promised a meeting in person when Ryan, who also had a tracheotomy, became healthier.
asserted
who → promise → tracheotomy
“It definitely made my day,” Ryan said.
asserted
Ryan → make → day
Barzy delivered on his promise last March.
asserted
Barzy → deliver → promise
He flipped Ryan a puck during warmups and then, with teammates, met him outside the locker room post-game to give the cancer fighter a signed hockey stick with the message “you inspire me!”
asserted
you → flip → me
“I was going through some super rough times,” said Ryan, who was treated to seats on the glass and a spot in the owner’s box with Jon Ledecky that night during a thrilling 1-0 win vs. the Blue Jackets.
asserted
who → go → Jackets
“Getting my body back to normal, not being in school, it gave my mind something to look forward to.”
asserted
it → get → something
Ryan’s been nothing but a winner in getting his life back on track — especially after he got the wonderful cancer-free news on his bone marrow scans last October.
asserted
he → get → scans
Ryan is now enrolled at Rockland Community College and said his strength is about 70% of what it was pre-cancer.
asserted
it → enrol → College
“I had to relearn how to walk.
asserted
I → have → ?
I had to relearn how to talk, got the strength back in my arms, my legs, kind of just my whole body, and worked my way up from there,” he said.
asserted
he → have → way
Now Ryan just has one more task for the Isles.
asserted
Ryan → have → Isles
“I’ve never been to a playoff game before — and I’d love to see that this spring.”
asserted
I → love → that
The Aporia
