CINCINNATI, OH – Winfield High School student Ty Laughery heard the words Wednesday morning that not just he, but his family, friends, classmates, neighbors, and thousands of West Virginians who heard the “TyStrong” story hoped he would.
“Cancer-free.”
After months of treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphona that saw a community form around Laughery and transcend the town of Winfield, he rang the bell at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to declare to the world that he had won.
“He had a PET scan on Monday and then he had a CT scan and an echo on Tuesday. We met with the doctors this morning, and (Ty’s mother) Mary Beth said, ‘Just tell me,’ and our younger doctor said, ‘Cancer-free,'” Ty’s father Mike Laughery said Wednesday on MetroNews Midday.
Laughery’s story stretches further than just that of a student battling for his life. His spirit, determination, and attitude at each step of the journey proved inspirational to countless people from family members and teammates to total strangers.
The will to fight each and every day showed up in treatments, in social media posts, and in Laughery’s improbable return to the Winfield basketball team in time to take the floor for the Generals at the state tournament. His family hopes, in his way, he will tell that story someday.
“He’s a quiet kid. If he does it quietly, that’s fine. However is best for him, we just want him to share because it’s a beautiful story,” Mary Beth Laughery said.
The rallying cry of “TyStrong” grew louder with each passing month from a GoFundMe supporting the Laughery family raising nearly $67,000 to videos of Ty joining his teammates in the Charleston Coliseum garnering hundreds of thousands of views online. Many see the endless support for Laughery’s cause as a textbook example of West Virginians caring for one another like family.
“Just the amount of support that we’ve had has just been incredible. It really helped us to get through. We had people that reached out that maybe they had children or they were survivors of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and it just helped us tremendously,” Mary Beth Laughery said.
The Laugherys spent their time Wednesday celebrating and giving back alongside friends and family. Ty, Mike, and Mary Beth made a stop at the Ronald McDonald House to deliver toys, including some of Ty’s personal favorites—LEGOs.
Most importantly, July 1 became a day to rejoice alongside the people who helped make the result possible.
“We had over 20 friends and family come up. Some of them have stayed with us all week, and that’s actually where he is now. There were four kids from the basketball team. Baseball players came up, so he’s with them right now celebrating, and he is all smiles,” Mike Laughery said.
A more normal life is on the way for Ty, Mike, and Mary Beth, but that does not mean their voices will go away. If the Laughery family has its way, the story of “TyStrong” is just getting started.