Beau Ryan’s visit to cancer patient Kia Lettice delivers inspiration to family
NRL star Beau Ryan’s visit to a terminally ill cancer patient has lifted the young lady’s spirits and brought great joy to her family at a terrible time.
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IF YOU could pick one photo to best illustrate the word hope, this would be it.
From her hospital bed, a brave young lady fighting cancer has delivered an inspirational message following an emotional visit from rugby league funnyman Beau Ryan.
“I am not giving up,” Kia Lettice, 22, told The Daily Telegraph.
“If I was going to die I would have died ages ago with my first operation. I am still here.”
Ms Lettice, from Narrabri in country NSW, became the focus of a social media vigil on Tuesday night after women’s rugby star Mahalia Murphy issued an “urgent request” on Facebook to the Channel 9 personality to boost her gravely ill friend’s spirits.
At the time Murphy said her family friend, who has been battling metastatic gastric cancer since April, had “roughly four hours to live”.
Within minutes of being told about the SOS call, Ryan was in his car and driving to the Prince of Wales Hospital at Randwick.
“Leaving Shellharbour now,” Ryan replied. “See you in two hours. Tell her to stay strong.”
He also phoned the hospital to speak with Ms Lettice directly.
Understandably, Ryan was reluctant to make a fuss of his visit when contacted by The Daily Telegraph, but there is no question his heartfelt and immediate response proved an inspiration.
“I didn’t expect it,” Ms Lettice added.
“I love Beau Ryan, I have loved him for ages.
“And then he just shows up at my hospital door.”
Her boyfriend Steve Page laughed: “She has been saying for years that I was only her stand-in boyfriend and Beau was her real boyfriend.
“When we spoke to him on the phone, it was like she was not even sick any more. It was amazing.
“She got the nurses to give her a clean-up so she looked good when he came. She is the bravest person I have met in my life, that’s for sure. She is very inspiring.”
Her mother Pattie revealed Ms Lettice was in a “critical stage” before hearing Ryan’s voice.
“We had to call for her dad and all her brothers,” her mother said. “But seeing him gave her that extra boost.
“Just her smile when she spoke to him over the phone was priceless. He was with his family but said he’d be there in two hours. And when he showed up, oh, the eyes.
“She is still a bit drowsy because of all the medication she is on. But she lit up like a Christmas tree.”
Ms Murphy added the visit provided the family with much-needed hope: “She hasn’t complained about the sickness.
“She had accepted it and she is such a strong girl. We are just having faith and hope that she can pull through and get through it all.”
Ms Lettice has three brothers, while her parents Pattie and Noel also look after eight foster children.
The parents plan to stay in Sydney until they can take their only daughter home.
Anyone wishing to help can go to gofundme.com and search for the Lettice family.
“We always say, cancer may have started the fight but we are going to win,” her mother said.
“So we will keep fighting on. We would never wish this upon anyone but we are not giving up.
“All she wants for Christmas is a healthy lifestyle.”
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