Teen survives cancer, now racing cars

KANKAKEE — Sometimes stock car racing fans come up and hug Margie Howard in the stands at the Kankakee County Speedway.

“They just can’t believe that’s (my son) Ryan out there racing,” the Peotone mother explained. “They can’t believe that’s the little boy who survived stage 4 cancer ... that he’s grown up (16),and he’s racing just like he always want to.”

But while that might be cause for celebration in the stands, in the pits on Friday nights, this rookie driver in the entry-level, four-cylinder division is just one of the guys.

“They’re great guys down there, (fellow drivers) Logan (Nesselrodt) and Skylar (Antonelli) and Shannon (Mudro) ... they’ve all been real nice to me,” Ryan said.

And, while Margie admits she worries about Ryan’s safety when she’s sitting in the stands, she knew she couldn’t deny him the chance to race.

After all, it took a miracle to even get to the track.

“The prognosis was grim,” said Margie. “He was 9 years old, and we had been taking him to different doctors for a year. He had terrible headaches and threw up every day.

“I thought it had something to do with the fact that he was born at 26 weeks. He only weighed a pound and a half. Maybe it was a digestive thing.”

Finally, a brain scan revealed what was described as a lime-sized tumor on his brain stem. Ryan’s parents were told that in another 10 days he would have slipped into an irreversible coma.

After sinking to a weak 47 pounds, Ryan fought his way back. He’s still an underwhelming guy at 5-foot-7 and 125 pounds. But that’s a great size for a budding stock car driver. After all, NASCAR’s Mark Martin is 5-foot-6 and only 135 pounds. Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon are listed at 5-foot-7.

At the end of his first month of racing, Ryan’s consistent driving — not the brute power of his Chevy Cavalier — has put him in the 10th spot in the season point standings. But he said he’s still a little nervous each time he climbs behind the wheel.

“He’s getting better out there, but it’s taken a lot of praying,” Margie said, noting that she keeps her rosary busy during his races.

“I never prayed harder than when he was in the hospital. And God answered my prayers. Now, I’m not really praying for him to win, just for him to be OK.”