Originally Posted by
John Ryan
well, to be short with this answer. In one word cancer. Honestly, my cancer trek was one of the single best things to ever have happened to me other than the birth of my children of course. But, I think you get the point.
I was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer called Multiple Myeloma at a young age in December 2000. yes, right before Christmas. I was told that I had about 6 months to live. Had a 5 and 3 year old. Realized I may never even see my daughter go to Kindergarten. But, I made it through, and statistically I am now one of the longest living survivors to date at Dana Farber, which is Harvard Med. I went through some unreal doses of chemo and a guantlet of other drugs to have a chance at a bone marrow transplant. It worked and not to sound corny at all, but it was my faith and belief that I was going to make it through no matter what the stats said. I was a two sport All-American and that intense training, discipline, and commitment also served me well during this time. So, after the bone marrow transplant that took place at Johns Hopkins, I realized that chasing the almighty buck and not being satisfied making seven figures with 'fat bonuses' was not the way I was going to live the rest of my life. I am not saying either, that people, who choose that path are wrong. It was the best choice for me, to completely change path and start giving back. I coach/founded a youth baseball program that plays on a national level, got heavily involved with Blood Cancer Advocacy work in Congress (Washington DC) to bring about awareness and education of Multiple Myeloma in conjunction with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF). Geraldine Ferraro and Ted Kennedy, and Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchingson were three of the biggest and most powerful supporters of our efforts and in 2006, Congress passed a bill granting 375 million dollars for the research of this blood disease. So, you can see how cancer was actually a gift for me and is one of the reasons I started the sports handicapping business. To show people that there is an honest and methodical disciplined way to have a blast wagering on sporting events and not have it rule your life either.
So, Wall Street was kind to me. I travel through there on my way to Boston several times a year and remember where I once lived - two blocks from the Twin Towers - but that is another story for another time. I was NOT there, but since I worked in them and the World Financial Center, I lost a lot of friends and colleagues just like so many of you must have endured as well. So, I spend time with cancer patients, especially the children, who are the strongest most courageous people in this world - and I love sports and predicting outcomes - just like I would riding the the Euro/Yen trade. Hope this has helped tell you just a little about who I am an why i am doing this. Don't forget too, that I get a lot of benefit out of these threads as well. It is a great way to exchange ideas and as Gorden Gekko once said in the movie Wall Street, "The most powerful commodity I know is information wouldn't you agree?"