Source: Standard-Examiner
By Jim Burton
WSU running back, wife, hope for China stem cell trip
Practically speaking, little Ryan Rae Smith can't see her parents.
Of course, that doesn't mean they aren't there.
The fact is, they are there in a big way -- right there, holding her, snuggling and doing their best to make sure the effervescent 8-month-old wants for nothing.
"There's no risk in giving your kid a chance," said Ryan's father, Weber State running back Trevyn Smith.
"There's no risk in it, I'd take a bullet for her ... whatever it takes to give her the opportunity to be the best at whatever she wants to be."
Although she is bubbly, happy and as active as can be, Ryan has optic nerve hypoplasia, which means her optic nerve is underdeveloped and does not transmit vision signals from the eye to the brain.
Trevyn Smith estimates his daughter is "96 percent blind."
Doctors told Trevyn and his wife, Erica, that as Ryan gets older, she will walk with a cane and read Braille.
The prognosis isn't good, but that has hardly stopped the Smiths from being there for their daughter.
They researched everything they could find on ONH and determined that the best course of action would be to have Ryan undergo a series of six stem cell treatments.
However, because those treatments aren't available in the United States, Ryan and Erica will need to travel to China.
And getting from Utah to Beijing isn't cheap.
"I started doing research on (the stem cell procedure) and found nothing but good," said Trevyn, a WSU junior. "There were five or six cases of young children that went over with ONH, with the same exact symptoms as Ryan, and they went over to China and they all came back with better results and improvements. Some of the improvements were no less than a miracle."
Trevyn rushed for more than 1,300 yards last season, including a 225-yard, one-touchdown performance against Portland State. Obviously, he's used to barreling straight forward, on and off the field.
"We're definitely willing to take the opportunity to go do it and hope for the best," he said. "We've just got to raise the money."
The Smiths need about $60,000 to cover the cost of the treatments and travel to and from Beijing. They're unable to come up with that on their own, which is why a fund for Ryan's benefit has been set up at Wells Fargo Bank.
NCAA guidelines are rather restrictive when it comes to giving money to athletes or using their names or images for money-making ventures, even when they're for a good cause.
Consequently, Trevyn can't be involved in any way with the fund. Instead, the athletic department is taking charge, helping to manage the account and even holding a fundraising golf tournament later this month at The Barn.
"We'll do everything that, legally, we can do to help (the Smiths) do what needs to get done," WSU coach Ron McBride said.
Wildcats' assistant coach Matt Hammer -- Trevyn's running back coach -- has taken on the role of point man for the fundraising efforts.
"I was more than happy to help," Hammer said. "He's one of my players. I'm involved with everything he does, and I knew exactly what was going on with Ryan and how difficult it was on him toward the end of (last season)."
The Weber State community has rallied to help the Smiths. And what's more, donations and other offers of support from around the state have already begun rolling in.
Still, it all began with little Ryan's parents, who recognized a problem and quickly went searching for solutions.
How much searching? Well, when Trevyn read about the children who had undergone stem cell treatments in China, he was determined to talk to some of their parents.
Problem was, they weren't all that easy to find.
"I found one of the parents online, and she didn't have any of the information of how to get ahold of her or anything," he explained. "I tracked her down anyway. It took me two days to figure it out, but I found her and talked to her."
The woman told him her son's vision had improved to the point he could see his parents' faces.
"He can see eight feet in front of him, and before he was completely blind," Trevyn said. "He didn't have any light (sensitivity) or anything, and he can see eight feet in front of him."
The Smiths are determined to give Ryan that same fighting chance. And even though she can't see them now, Trevyn and Erica are there for her.
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