Keep Believing
Inspiring Survivor Shares Wisdom With Brain and Spine Tumor Community
Ryan Romaine Rafiq Rasul is a scholar, basketball champion, community leader, author, miracle kid, founder of Little Hands Academy and ependymoma survivor. In 2014, at age 2,
Ryan was diagnosed with ependymoma which led to three brain surgeries, 30 radiation treatments, and months of recovery and rehabilitation. After conquering cancer, Ryan and his Dad, Coach Rasul, are on a mission to conquer the world. The purpose of Little Hands Academy is to empower young athletes through teaching basketball fundamentals and dribbling skills to increase confidence and hand-eye coordination. Now that Ryan is eight years cancer free, he strives to promote healthy active lives through athletics and academics. Ryan was a guest speaker at the 2023 Ependymoma Awareness Day butterfly release ceremony hosted by the CERN Foundation and the National Brain Tumor Society in Bethesda, Maryland in May 2023. He was chosen because of his remarkable story, leadership, and ability to encourage others along the way.
Ryan shares “I hope people learn to keep pushing and that it’s never too late. Even when I had cancer and I had to undergo my first surgery, we still kept hope and we never gave up. So keep believing and it's never too late.”
Watch the video below to see a brief clip about Ryan's Story: