Time and time again he was swallowed up by sorrow … his
life experiences resulted in the full expression of this rawest of emotions.
When Ryan was a young boy, his mother died and then he was held back in school.
Later on, Ryan noticed a lump in his chest and became increasingly troubled when
it just wouldn't go away. A doctor soon delivered a devastating diagnosis:
lymphoma.
Ryan's weekly routine
included two trips to the hospital for chemotherapy, but even cancer couldn't
squelch a common teenage thrill – driving. Late one evening, Ryan had gotten
permission from his dad to move the family SUV off the street and into the
driveway of their home. No sooner had Ryan slid behind the wheel … when the
deafening sound of gunfire riddled the nighttime air.
Ryan's older brother
bolted outside and discovered Ryan on the ground with a bullet wound to the
back, shouting, "They were trying to steal the truck. They were trying to steal
the truck!" The criminals sped off in their compact sedan, having arrived as
would-be thieves but leaving as cold-blooded killers. Ryan Lara died a few
moments later on the front porch of his home.
In the most grievous of
ironies, Ryan was expected to fully recover from cancer. Everyone anticipated
Ryan turning 16, getting that prized driver's license, going on dates and
driving himself to football practice. No one could have imagined that he'd
experience a fatal bullet wound in his very own front yard.
