Description
This project has been such a work of absolute love and excitement and deliciousness! I had the privilege of meeting Ryan's Mom, Christie. We talked all about Ryan and decided his Coffee Flavor would be Cheeky Chocolate English Toffee Coffee. Then I met Brenda. Her family has a Candy Company that has been making a specific recipe for English Toffee for generations. It's all the things. So because Ryan is all the things...here is his Candy!
Ryan Kirkby - Say My Name
Ryan Tyler Kirkby had a contagious laugh and sophisticated sense of humor with a heavy reliance on sarcasm and comedic timing. He loved music with meaningful lyrics (Imagine Dragons was his favorite band), chess, reading, swimming, and his friends. Ryan was known for his insightful and cheeky remarks and his HUGE LOVE of animals (3 cats and hundreds of stuffies for whom he cared were catalogued by name, birth date, photo and occupation in his contact list, requiring special birthday desserts with little notice). Ryan dreamt of becoming a veterinarian but soon after his DIPG diagnosis in December 2022, he no longer could attend his cherished school (SSSAS) and instead watched YouTube and played Roblox as best as he could with one working hand.
An only child, Ryan’s constant companion was his stuffy, Foxy. Their adventurous spirits drove them to explore new foods, experiences, and 4 countries and 25 states together. Ryan fought DIPG for 18 months with Foxy by his side- Foxy had MRIs, his own AFOs, and was regularly caught giving himself medical assessments, messing with computers, and using hospital equipment. Once Ryan was confined to a wheelchair, Foxy and his gang formed Ryan’s Warrior Animal Guard (WAG) to guard against scary things.
Ryan, age 9, passed away on June 13, 2024, leaving a Ryan-sized hole in our hearts. Ryan continues fighting through his post-mortem tumor donation… and Ryan’s family and Ryan’s WAG won’t give up the fight until a cure is found.
