There's something about playing with LEGOs that any boy of every age loves. Snapping the blocks together, popping a helmet on a LEGO guy, creating cars and spaceships and worlds - life doesn't get much better than that for a kid.

Just ask Ryan Hadley. Ryan is a 7-year old boy who loves playing with LEGOs. But Ryan is also in the battle of his young life right now, as he undergoes chemotherapy and radiation treatments for the brain tumor discovered over Labor Day weekend.  

That's why Prescott eNews is sponsoring a LEGO drive in Ryan's behalf. You see, Ryan's treatments will take about a year to complete, and during that time, he is not expected to be well enough to attend school. His mom, Crystal, is a teacher, and she will be staying home with him so he can keep up on his studies. But, after his schoolwork is done, well, then it's time to play with LEGOs. 

And, as any kid can explain, you simply can't get too many LEGOs. After all, there are worlds to build and universes to create. So, Prescott eNews is hoping to help collect enough LEGOs to keep Ryan busy and occupied for weeks. 

Ryan's Story 

Ryan is in second grade, and lives in Chino Valley with his mom and dad, Darrell, and their two dogs, Scrappy and Velma. Besides LEGOs, he loves the History Channel and wanted to meet NASCAR driver Tony Stewart some day. (But, that's another story!)

Ryan's Caring Bridge website tells the story of how they discovered his tumor. "Ryan and his mom, Crystal, were in Las Vegas visiting Aunt Shelby on Labor Day weekend. Ryan had been complaining about a headache for about a week. He was acting weird and holding his neck funny on Saturday, September 1st, 2007. Sunday morning he had to be awakened after 14 hours of sleep. He was disoriented and wanting to keep sleeping. He started holding his head and crying that his head was hurting. Mom, Crystal, just thought the situation wasn't right and decided to take him to urgent care. The receptionist at their hotel, The Railroad Pass, directed them to the Boulder City Hospital. After being evaluated, the doctor said he looked healthy and maybe he was having migraines. The doctor also said he would run a cat scan to be safe. The doctor reported back that there was an unusual mass in Ryan's brain and said they need to go to a bigger hospital. They were rerouted to The Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas. Upon arrival there were doctors waiting and a confirmation that it was a tumor in his brain. They set up the removal for Tuesday afternoon and took it out. The biopsy confirmed it was cancer Medulloblastoma."  

About the LEGO Drive

Frequently, when a child becomes ill with a life-threatening disease, a community will respond by helping with fundraising events. During a recent Spaghetti Dinner, approximately $8000 was raised in Ryan's behalf. And that is incredibly important, because a family has enough to worry about without having to fret over money for medical expenses. As a matter of fact, there is a bank account set up in the Hadley family's behalf, at Chase Bank. The account number for that account is 763746369.

Sometimes, however, it is nice to do something directly for the child who is ill. And that's why we at Prescott eNews decided to hold a LEGO drive for Ryan. New and used LEGOs will be appreciated and accepted.

All LEGO donations will be given directly to Ryan at Christmas time. LEGOs can be dropped off at the Chino Valley School District offices, as well as Cornerstone Church in Prescott, which is on the corner of Rosser and Demerse Avenue .

No time to drop off the LEGOs? Please call 602.325.3463, and leave a message, and someone from Prescott eNews will arrange a pick up time.

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