A public Celebration of Life has been planned for Ryan Wilcox, an 18-year-old student at Grossmont High School who lost his heroic battle with cancer on September 3.
The celebration is planned for Wednesday, September 21 at Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon at 2:00 p.m.
A vigil was held on Monday at Grossmont High School in his remembrance, bringing together students who said that Ryan’s story dismantled cliques and brought everyone together.
“Usually in high school there’s a bunch of separate groups and not much unity,” one student said at the vigil. “When everyone heard what he was going through, what he was battling, the strength that he had, it broke down walls.”
Grossmont High School and all of the other schools in the district are asked students to wear red, white, and blue on Tuesday to honor Wilcox.
Ryan’s fellow students showed an enormous amount of support when they learned what he was up against. The ASB coined #RyanStrong across social media and started a campaign to get Chris Evans, the actor behind Captain America, to pay a visit to Ryan.
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The school put on a rally where students held signs and cheered as Ryan stood on stage. He was then surprised with a video from Evans telling him to “stay strong.”
“It’s people like you with strength like yours that inspire people like me,” Evan says in the video posted to YouTube.
Weeks later, major members of the cast, Evans, Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey, Jr. paid a visit to him at his home.
Images: Avengers Stars Visit Ryan Wilcox in San Diego
In lieu of flowers, Ryan’s family asks that memorial contributions in Ryan's memory be made to the foundations that directly impacted his life:
The Seany Foundation, known for "Camp Reach for the Sky", a camp for kids affected by cancer.
Friends of Scott, known for the "Unforgettable Prom".
