Bethesda Boy Inspires Community to Battle Cancer

By Cathy Carter

A local boy's resilience in battling cancer has inspired his community to help other families in need of support.

Six-year-old Ryan Darby of Bethesda, Maryland is being treated for leukemia at Georgetown Hospital.

"And the care he's receiving his second to none. He's treated like a king every time he walks in the clinic," says Ryan's mom, Molly Darby.

This weekend the family's new foundation is sponsoring a kids triathlon to raise money for the hospital's family assistance fund.

Doctor Aziza Shad says the program allows families to focus on getting their kids well and not how they're going to pay for that care.

"This money is going to be invaluable in the support of our families, at a time when the economy is in bad straights," she says. "We have numerous families that can't afford to have a meal on the table."

The kid's triathlon happens at the Landon School in Bethesda.