Trojan pitcher/outfielder Ian Ryan has been described as a person who proudly stands up for what he believes in, and in helping others. Since joining the TIU baseball program as a sophomore, he's tried to find ways to support others in need. As he enters the 2021 season, Ryan is looking to continue sharing his passion for supporting others by raising awareness for childhood cancer.

"I'm a follower of the big sports associations (MLB, NBA, NFL, etc.), and I like how they often wear cleats for certain organizations," Ryan said. "It's important to get the word out and raise awareness for certain things." 

"When I first got here as a sophomore, I wore green laces in support of mental health awareness. Last year, I decided to wear pink socks and pink shoe laces for breast cancer awareness. This year, after speaking with my sister and knowing how difficult it would be to fundraise with COVID-19, my sister reminded me about her friend Julia Janes, who had cancer when she was in high school. Her family started a foundation for her based on pediatric cancer." 

Janes grew up in Ryan's hometown of Oak Forest, Illinois and was diagnosed at age 16 with Ewing's Sarcoma, a tissue cancer that affects children and teens. As she graduated high school, Janes went into remission and began college at Bradley University, where she advocated for childhood cancer research. She also founded the first ever college chapter of CureSearch, an international group of doctors trying to cure pediatric cancers. 

However, during her sophomore year at Bradley, Janes was diagnosed with another form of cancer, Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Though she went through several difficult treatments, she kept a positive mindset throughout. Janes passed away on November 14, 2013 at age 20.

"She had a difficult set of cards, but had a positive outlook on life," Ryan said when talking about Janes. "That's definitely someone I would stand up for when everything's going against you." 

Following her passing, Janes' family established Juila's Legacy of Hope in conjunction with the St. Baldrick's Foundation, which helps raise awareness and funds in support of childhood cancer. To date, Julia's Legacy has raised over $385,000 since 2018, and $134,000 in 2020 alone, despite the fundraising challenges presented by COVID-19.

"With everything going on with COVID-19, it didn't allow many people to come out to our games and support," Ryan explained. "We hoped to set out a donation box, but we didn't end up having many games. Instead, for their support, we'd hand out a wristband or button to raise awareness. Because of COVID-19, fundraising is very low, which is tough because they need help with research."

Throughout the 2021 season, Ryan plans to wear purple shoe laces and a gold arm sleeve in support of childhood cancer. The team also hopes to create Julia's Legacy warm-up shirts to wear before games, have a donation box available on site at home games and distribute St. Baldrick's wristbands and buttons to show support.  

"I love that our players have adopted this cause," said TIU head baseball coach Shane Gardner. "It will help to bring awareness to childhood cancer research and the need for funding to further that research. I love that our guys are interested in helping a worthy cause and I hope we can bring attention to this valuable research!" 

"When it comes to helping other people, I'm always willing to stand up," Ryan said. "Every two minutes a child is diagnosed with some form of cancer worldwide. One in five of those children won't survive. When I found out 100% of the funds go to the research of childhood cancer, it was mind blowing. They really need the research." 

To hear more about or to donate to Julia's Legacy of Hope, view her story on the St. Baldrick's Foundation website. Facebook and Instagram pages are also available for viewing. 

Trinity International University is a comprehensive, national university affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America and located in Bannockburn, Illinois, 25 miles north of Chicago. TIU educates men and women to engage in God's redemptive work in the world by cultivating academic excellence, Christian faithfulness and lifelong learning.