A 20-year-old Asotin resident creates foundation to help others with cancer
Feb. 16—ASOTIN — His idea to start a foundation stems from the day his pig sold for $100,000 at a county fair.
Bryson Stein, who has been fighting synovial cell sarcoma since he was 13, wants to raise money to help people facing pediatric cancer. The 20-year-old Asotin resident is thinking about his legacy should the unthinkable happen.
"I don't want to be remembered as the guy who died from a rare cancer," Stein said Thursday. "I want to be remembered as the guy who started this foundation and helped a lot of people."
The well-known pig story dates back to the 2022 Asotin County Fair livestock sale, when his entry — "Cabala" — fetched a whopping $100,000 to help ease Stein's financial burdens and assist other cancer patients.
The outpouring of generosity broke the livestock sale record, and sealed a commitment to altruism in Stein's heart.
"This journey has definitely taught me a lot," Stein said. "As unfortunate as it is, I'm grateful for all of the doors it has opened for me. If I never got sick, I would've never sold that pig. If I never sold that pig, I probably would have never started this foundation."
Stein, who works as a dialysis technician at Tri-State Health in Clarkston, has been through a lot of ups and downs, but he remains hopeful for a long life. Next week he's headed to Texas to get a second opinion on his condition.
The past few months have been a whirlwind, from a wedding to open-chest surgeries and radiation treatments, and the formation of a nonprofit organization to help others.
He married a woman named Taylor on Aug. 23, and she is president of the Bryson Stein Foundation. Taylor also works at Tri-State Health, along with his parents, Craig and Angela Stein.
The foundation's first fundraiser, Camouflage Cancer, is from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Riverport Brewery in Clarkston. An auction is on tap, along with a $1 donation for every pint sold at the event.
Kacey Jackson-Way, vice president of the Bryson Stein Foundation, said all of the money raised will go to families with children who are dealing with a cancer diagnosis.
"Bryson is still currently fighting cancer, and through it all, all he wants to do is give to others," Jackson-Way said. "Cancer affects everyone who loves you, so with this foundation we hope to bring strength and healing within their cancer journey. As vice president of the board I am truly honored to be a part of his legacy."
As for his health, Stein said his cancer has returned for the third time. He found out about a month after he got married, during what was supposed to be a routine checkup.
"On Sept. 26, I went to Seattle by myself, and that wasn't such a good idea," he said. "I was distraught after I got the news, and I just wanted to go home. I left my truck in Seattle, and Taylor's dad got me a flight home."
On Oct. 17, he went back for surgery, but it didn't go as planned, Stein said. He was supposed to have a screw in his knee removed, along with wires in his chest that were causing him pain.
"The plan was to go through my ribs to get a tumor out of my chest," he said, "but I had so much scar tissue they couldn't do it, and the wire in my chest was too embedded."
He returned to the operating room Oct. 23 for open-chest surgery, which was successful.
"It's not very fun, but I had a lot of time on my hands when I was in Seattle for a month and a half getting radiation," he said. "That helped me start the foundation. Right now, I'm doing pretty good."
The rare soft tissue cancer usually strikes children or young adults. In Stein's case, he began having symptoms at age 12 and was diagnosed when he was 13. Synovial cell sarcoma is "extremely rare," Stein said.
Seattle Children's Hospital, where he's been treated for nearly eight years, only handles about four such cases a year, and it's one of the biggest pediatric hospitals in the country, he said.
"I've been going there since I was 12," Stein said. "I just wanted to get another opinion. They mentioned chemo and some trials as my next steps."
He is eager to hear what the specialists in Texas have to say.
The pill form of chemotherapy he's considering has one side effect that may be noticeable to his friends in the valley. "It turns your hair white. I've heard that's in style now."
Stein said he greatly appreciates everyone who donated items for the auction and offered support to him and his family over the years. He hopes the foundation will provide that for others in the same boat.
"I've been through this at ages 13, 17 and 20 now," he said. "I know both sides, the adult side and the kid side. I want to be that person people can look toward for help with pediatric cancer. I want to do this for the rest of my life."
In addition to his wife and Jackson-Way, the other board members are his aunt, Vickie Stein, of Alabama, and his father.
Jackson-Way said she's known Bryson since he was 12, and his struggles with cancer created a drive within her to help other children and families facing the disease.
"Being able to help support those families in need is a true blessing," she said. "I had taken Bryson on a few bear hunts, and sometimes you have your best conversations in the woods hunting. I had asked him what his top bucket list item was, and he mentioned that it would be having a foundation that would help other children with cancer in our area."
During the truck ride home from the mountain, they decided to launch the foundation.
"Here we are four months later, and we have the Bryson Stein Foundation." Jackson-Way said. "What a dream come true."
More information about the Camouflage Cancer event can be found on the foundation's Facebook page or by contacting the board at bsteinfoundation@gmail.com.
Sandaine can be reached at kerris@lmtribune.com. You can follow her on X @newsfromkerri.
