At age 31, Ricky Anderson, who’s a husband and father of three, found out he had a cancerous tumor in his thigh that is a very rare type of sarcoma. Anderson had radiation and leg surgery in 2012 to remove it.
He recovered very well from the procedure, but then a year and a half later Anderson found out that the cancer spread to his lungs and was in stage 4.
The only course of treatment the doctors could recommend was extensive chemotherapy. However, there was no current form of chemotherapy that is proven to be effective against the rare sarcoma.
After two months of chemotherapy there was no change in Anderson’s condition. Doctors recommended he have surgery to remove a portion of his right lung that contained most of the cancer. He had a lobectomy in 2014.
While the surgery was a success, it still did not stop the cancer from spreading.
Since then Anderson has undergone four additional surgeries throughout 2015, which include draining fluid from his lung and removing tumors.
Anderson also completed a six-month customized immunotherapy, which was experimental and paid for out of pocket.
Despite the multitude of procedures, cancer has continued to spread.
Currently, he is undergoing new treatments through immunotherapy and viral therapy.
As you can imagine, Anderson’s cancer has been an enormous physical, emotional and financial challenge for him and his family.
To help with the procedures, Anderson’s family set up a Gofundme page for those who would like to support his battle. So far $20,000 has been raised in just under 10 days. The page can be found at www.gofundme.com/ksf5g5sc.
Anderson has been writing songs since he was at Los Al High. Anderson graduated in 1999.
Inspired by songwriters John Lennon, Paul Simon and Van Morrison, Anderson mixes California beach style with a mid-west flair.
Anderson released his first full-length album, Songs of Deliverance, in 2015. Most of the songs were recorded while he was having regular chemotherapy treatment. The record was produced and recorded by Matt Wignall (Cold War Kids) at Tackyland Studios in Long Beach, and Rami Jaffee (Foo Fighters) at Fonogenic Studios in Van Nuys. Musicians on the album include Dave Krusen (Pearl Jam) and Jay Buchannan (Rival Sons).
To learn more about his album visit www.rickyandersonmusic.com.
Anderson released his first music video “Havana.” The song was written for his daughter to encourage her to “never stop smiling” even when faced with great adversity. The music video was filmed in Seal Beach.
Currently, Anderson lives in Corona with his wife Rachel and their three children, Havana, 8, Levi, 6, and Luke, 3. Anderson is also a graphic designer, e-commerce director, owner of inkmytee.com and the creator/founding partner of woodsnap.com.