I was recently in Carrboro NC at a DJ gig and ran into Ryan Ragan, who is a professional surfer. Now, when you’re in the middle of NC and run into a surfer, it can be kinda confusing. It seems like a strange place to be talking about surfing, or anything like that, on a cold October day at a festival. However, Ryan informed me of his family being from the area, and of the fact that his mother’s battle with cancer has brought him home to take care of her. Ryan’s story of having to put his sponsorships and surfing career on hold to take care of his mother really affected me. He was very nice and asked me if I would listen and maybe find a way to help him. Recently he contacted me and sent some information about his upcoming benefit. I told Ryan I would do all that I could to help, so please take a moment to read below, and if you can, help Ryan and his family by showing your support. Thanks!
I was recently in Carrboro NC at a DJ gig and ran into Ryan Ragan, who is a professional surfer. Now, when you’re in the middle of NC and run into a surfer, it can be kinda confusing. It seems like a strange place to be talking about surfing, or anything like that, on a cold October day at a festival. However, Ryan informed me of his family being from the area, and of the fact that his mother’s battle with cancer has brought him home to take care of her. Ryan’s story of having to put his sponsorships and surfing career on hold to take care of his mother really affected me. He was very nice and asked me if I would listen and maybe find a way to help him. Recently he contacted me and sent some information about his upcoming benefit. I told Ryan I would do all that I could to help, so please take a moment to read below, and if you can, help Ryan and his family by showing your support. Thanks!
Dear fellow North Carolinians, surfers and friends,
Professional surfer and Chapel Hill native Ryan Ragan, has faced some of life’s greatest challenges, like riding monster waves bigger than a three story house. But nothing from 20 years of professional surfing could prepare him for leaving everything behind to return to North Carolina and become his mother’s primary care giver, as her battle with fallopian cancer has yet again taken a turn for the worse.
Ryan’s family has strong ties with the town of Chapel Hill. His grandparents opened Thells Bakery on Franklin street and the family successfully ran it for over 40 years. Ryan was born and raised here and in Florida until he relocated to San Francisco when he was ten. It was there that he started surfing. By the time he was fourteen he was competing, and after a string of successes, he was recruited into the rarefied world of Professional Surfing.
In the workweek of Pro surfing you have to actively compete for your sponsors to pay for your airfare, hotels, and basic living expenses. Much like in any professional sport, if you are not out on the tour, you do not get paid. Ryan has had to drop everything and leave the Tour twice to fly home when the call came that his mother, Judy Jernigan Bosniadis, has stage 3C cancer. Last year Judy had to call her son with the hard news that her cancer was spreading, and that insurance pays only 80% of the extremely expensive cost in treating it. Judy was running out of the most basic options, like purchasing medications, eating healthy foods to keep her body strong enough to fight, and just getting to and from the hospital. Ryan returned to become her driver, her cook, her confidant, her coach and her best friend. For a brief time it seemed as the cancer had gone into remission.
Judy encouraged Ryan to participate in a contest in Australia, but two months back into the tour he got the dreaded call from home. The fallopian cancer was back and worse than before. Again he dropped out of the Pro Tour to come back home. But without being at his profession for the last few months, Ryan hasn’t been paid and the bills are piling up for Judy, even as the recommended courses of treatment and procedures become more exhausting and expensive.
This fundraiser is just a drop in the bucket for the emotional and physical toll that this mother and son have been through. Your contribution goes directly to helping this family. No middle man. No BS.
Facebook event page: tinyurl.com/Benifit
You can donate directly at the event, on SUNDAY NOVEMBER 21ST, AT THE STATION (Southern Rail) IN CARRBORO.
Or visit our website: www.ryanragan.com
We have a PayPal account setup to go directly to Judy.
Cheers,
Mike Benson (Proprietor, Southern Rail)
Chip Hoppin (Proprietor, The Merch)
Thank You. God Bless You. And see you on Sunday!
