“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” ― Mahatma Gandhi.
This very quote could be used to describe a young man by the name of James Arthur Ragan who displayed the kind of determination and tenacity and sheer force of will to never give up in his fight against cancer.
James was a young Texas native diagnosed with osteosarcoma, the most common type of cancer that develops in the bone, at the tender age of 13. Until 20 is an award winning documentary that chronicles the life James led in his last year and the impact he left behind through his mission to embrace each and every moment despite your setbacks. His story will touch your heart in a way that you will remember his contributions and realize the greater need for more research of pediatric cancers.
Photo: Until 20’s Photos/F. Carter Smith/FCS Photos
James was a promising young athlete who at the age of 12 not only excelled at tennis, but would eventually be a young golfer as well, to be reckoned with as a NCAA division one golfer. Now imagine that at 13, you are dealt with a startling blow that changes all your hopes and dreams, and your realty is now fighting for your life. Through his own voice, James shares with us his journey with osteosarcoma and his mission to bring support and awareness to this rare disease so that other children’s lives may be saved.
In his own words in the film James stated, “there is no greater feeling than to help someone who is in a bad situation with no one else to turn to.” He goes on to say that as you live your life to take time out of each week to go out of your way to do something nice for someone else. “You will be stronger, more energetic, more positive and happier in your life doing that one thing.”
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Photo: Until 20’s Photos/F. Carter Smith/FCS Photos
The medical team at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX, where James spent much time over the course of seven years receiving chemotherapy, radiation, and surgeries, saw the determination and strength this young patient had and how he stood out in his fight against cancer. Dr. Winston Huh, one of James’ pediatric doctors and Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics Patient Care, Division of Pediatrics at MD Anderson, stated in the film,“You can tell that he feels like he has a mission.” Dr. Huh described James as a very bright and articulate young man.
It is emotions like these that James evoked with everyone that came into contact with him that made them want to support and help in his mission shared his father Jim Ragan. “Thoughtful, Hardworking and a Fun-Haver” are words that came to Mr. Ragan’s mind when asked to describe his son. “He was thoughtful of the lives of others, which enabled him to have such an impact.” “His contagious fun was a characteristic that created bonds for him, and his character of working hard served him well all his life which enabled him to excel at life,” shared Mr. Ragan.
Triumph Over Kids Cancer Foundation
Photo: Until 20’s Photos/F. Carter Smith/FCS Photos
After James’ initial diagnosis and treatments, it was thought he was cured. When his 14th birthday rolled around, he wanted to celebrate by having a Toga party in which part of the proceeds he would donate back to MD Anderson shared Mr. Ragan. The theme was ‘Triumph Over Kid Cancer – Fighting Kid Cancer One Toga Party at a Time’ since 2007! They raised $40,000 that year. Through this came the foundation James created called, “Triumph Over Kid Cancer Foundation.” The foundation as stated by its website, is dedicated to improving the lives of children with cancer by raising their spirits, raising the public’s awareness, and funding research to improve the treatment and survivability of pediatric cancers.
Photo: Until 20’s Photos/F. Carter Smith/FCS Photos
As James’ 15th birthday rolled around, he stepped it up a notch to raise even more funds. With the same theme and a golf tournament added, his foundation raised $100,000 and continued to do well the following year. Despite the success he was garnering and the joy of having put cancer in his rear view mirror so to speak it began to close in on him again.
“One of the problems with bone cancer (and other cancers as well) is that the cancers metastasize into other parts of the body. For me, it metastasized into my lungs. When they first told me that, I realized that the only thing worse than being told you have cancer, is being told you have cancer AGAIN!” shared his foundation website.
To give you a brutal look at the truth of this disease and what its patients endure, James describes the treatments and struggle he faced in a powerful quote on his foundation’s site: “The first treatments for the bone cancer were bad enough. There were months of heavy chemotherapy with horrible side effects, followed by surgery that removed 40% of my femur, my knee and 20% of my tibia and replaced them with metal, followed by months of physical therapy to regain use of my leg, followed by several more months of chemotherapy. With lung metastases, they have to go into your chest cavity, remove your lung, cut out the tumors, reinsert the lung and re-inflate it. The recovery period is long and painful.”
Photo: Until 20’s Photos/F. Carter Smith/FCS Photos
Through discussion with his doctors, James came to realize there weren’t any real treatments out there with a cure or significant advances in the treatment of his disease. Below are some startling facts from the Kids V Cancer website which is changing the landscape of this type of research:
- Number of Cancer drugs in pipeline for Adults: 900; Kids: Almost None
- In the past 25 years the FDA has initially approved only 3 drugs for a childhood cancer
- Half of all chemotherapies used for children’s cancer are over 20 years old
Photo: Until 20’s Photos/F. Carter Smith/FCS Photos
James made great strides in not only shining a light on pediatric cancer but was a beaming glimmer of hope to all those he knew. While at MD Anderson, he formed close bonds with other patients going through his same journey. He brought happiness and dignity to some who were at the end of their life while still fighting his own battle. He also did volunteer work, shared Mr. Ragan, to help the American Cancer Society by being a guest speaker at their Cattle Baron’s Ball, a major fundraiser for cancer research.
The pillars of strength and hope James received came from his loving family-His Father Jim, his Mother Gloria and his sister Mecklin. Together their bond of unending love and support shined through each moment of impact in James’ days as he continued knocking down barriers and opening doors of awareness for pediatric cancer.
His father even set up a google alert to get the most recent news and advances on osteosarcoma. Today his family carries on his legacy by supporting such efforts as “G.R.A.S.P – Genome Research and Sequencing Project,” said Mr. Ragan. “The hope is this data will give researchers understanding on how pediatric cancers work and how to go about crafting research projects to find a cure.”
Photo: www.youtube.com
Until 20 is the true story and journey of James Ragan in a feature-length documentary produced and directed by award-winning filmmakers Geraldine Moriba and Jamila Paksima. Ms. Moriba herself is a survivor of sarcoma cancer which placed her in the unique position to relate with James and helped him trust in her to share his story as she understood what he was going through. The hardest part about this project Moriba said-“When you’re making a deepening friendship and you know it’s about to end, and trying to document as thoroughly as possible without interfering with his family’s precious time.”
It is the hope by the family that this film will help others understand that “you don’t just lose a child, but it’s a loss to society, that you’re losing leaders and future contributors shared Mr. Ragan. ‘That people will see pediatric cancer as an important social issue and treat it with more importance.”
Moriba goes on to say, “The film is not about death and dying but about how James lived.” James passed away on February 17, 2014 and did not get to see the impact this film is making and how his legacy will forever change the face of cancer. An upcoming screening in Texas is below and future screenings of Until 20 can be found on their website.
49th Annual WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival
- Sunday, April 17 at 5:00 PM AMC Theater #25 2949 Dunvale Rd, Houston, TX 77063
References:
The Ragan Family
Geraldine Moriba
Until 20
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Kids V Cancer
Triumph Over Kid Cancer foundation
