Team Donte - Argos - Keep Going

Hey everyone - Donte's mom here~

🎉 Exciting News! 🎉

We are so proud to share that Donte (DJ ARGOS) placed 2nd in the QC Times Best Of competition, and Bry took home the honor of Best Teacher! ❤️Congratulations to both of them!

Thank you to everyone who voted, supported, shared, and cheered them on. Your love and support mean more than words can express, and time and time again, you all show up for them. We are incredibly grateful for this amazing community.

💙 Health Update on Donte 💙

On September 8, Donte underwent CT scans of his chest, abdomen, and pelvis. We are thankful to report that there is no evidence of disease progression.

Donte continues to have lab work every two weeks to closely monitor his liver enzymes. Although he has been off chemotherapy for several months, his liver enzymes remain elevated. He has a virtual appointment with his hepatologist at Loyola Hospital in Chicago on September 25 to hopefully gain more insight into what is causing these ongoing issues.

For now, his medical team has instructed him to continue following a low-fat diet and to completely avoid alcohol. He also continues taking Creon, which has truly been a game-changer and has allowed him to enjoy much more normal meals again.

And in some wonderful news, he has miraculously gained 3 pounds! We will gladly celebrate every single pound gained! 🙌

🙏 Please continue to keep Donte in your prayers and encourage him as he works through these liver challenges.

Despite these challenges, Donte has been blessed to work, golf, spend time with friends and family, and enjoy many of the things he loves throughout the summer. He remains incredibly thankful for all of the support, prayers, encouragement, and kindness he continues to receive.

Thank you all for standing with him on this journey. ❤️

Hey everyone!! We are so excited and so thankful that Donte made it to the top 5 for DJ and Bry made it to the top 5 for teachers!! Stop over here and give them both a vote please! This is the FINALS! Donte is DJ ARGOS !!

https://thequad-citytimes.secondstreetapp.com/2026-Best-of-the-Quad-Cities---Voting/gallery?group=553533

Can't believe it has been a year since we received the confirmation that Donte had pancreatic cancer! 💜 SO much has happened since then, including numerous trips to Mayo Clinic, 2 sets of chemo, surgery, recovery, and incredible healing! 🏥✨

A year ago we were not sure what the outcome would look like, and today he is planning a wonderful celebration trip with Bry to some amazing places! ✈️🌍🥳

As a mom—this was likely the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with, and that is nothing compared to what Donte dealt with. He had to do the hard work and face the biggest fight of his life! He beat cancer! 🙌🎗️💪

First and foremost, we thank our amazing God for His grace, strength, and for answering our prayers with this miraculous healing. We praise Him for watching over Donte every single step of the way! 🙌✝️✨

We could never have made it through this year alone. To our family, friends, and everyone who sent prayers, meals, messages, and love—thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

A special thank you to everyone who attended our fundraisers and donated their hard-earned money to help us through this. Your incredible generosity lifted a massive burden off our shoulders and let us focus entirely on Donte's healing. Your support kept us going on the darkest days. 🙏❤️💸

We have no idea what tomorrow will bring, but for today we will take this win! 🎉🥂✨

*ckCancer

Hey all! Donte's mom here again with an update!

First and foremost—thank you to everyone who has reached out to Donte and our family with your love and support! It is so needed, welcomed, and appreciated more than you know. Thank you also for encouraging Donte to stay on track and abstain from alcohol. His liver numbers were starting to improve but took a small dive this past week for reasons unknown, so your continued encouragement means the world.

We have some milestones and news to share from his recent appointments:

🎗️ Oncology Update: In Remission!
Donte has been meeting with his oncologist over the last couple of months for labs and just completed his quarterly CT scan. The scan looked great! In fact, it was such good news that he only needs to see the oncologist after his scans now, rather than every two weeks. As far as his oncologist is concerned, he is no longer being treated for cancer—we are officially in the remission stage! He will do these quarterly scans for about five years, and then they will space them out even further.

🩺 Liver Care & Specialist Update
Donte’s gastroenterologist referred him to a Hepatologist (liver specialist) from Loyola Hospital, and they had a great video meet-and-greet last Friday. This specialist is going to focus entirely on figuring out what is going on with his liver.

The Good News: Hepatitis has been officially ruled out!

Next Steps: Donte is getting another liver profile done this week to compare to a baseline from a month ago. If his numbers do not improve, the next step will be a specialized liver CT scan or a biopsy to check for a possible infection (not cancer).

Diet Changes: The specialist strongly reiterated absolutely no alcohol and noted he may need to cut back on fried, fatty, and processed foods as well as red meat.

🍽️ Weight & Nutrition Success
Donte started taking his Creon with meals and is tolerating food so much better now! The Creon is definitely doing its job, and he actually gained almost a pound at his last check-up. This is fantastic news!

💪 How Donte is Doing
Donte feels wonderful and is doing great! Balancing a diet that helps him gain weight without stressing his liver is a tough challenge, but he is working hard through it. He continues to listen to his doctors, eat well, and abstain from alcohol. He was able to take a couple of trips at the end of May - beginning of June.

Thank you all for standing by his side through this journey. We love you all! ❤️

Send a message to learn more

How exciting!! Someone nominated Donte for Best DJ and Best Bartender for the QC Times Best of contest! Please click on the links below to nominate. The ones with the most nominations move on to the finals!! There are two different nominations so please click on both links :-)

Check out DJ ARGOS (Boozies). Check it out now! https://thequad-citytimes.secondstreetapp.com/og/71d0ab4a-be8f-49c4-9ffb-8af6576bbafe/gallery/548854283

Check out Donte Nystrom Boozies Bar and Grill. Check it out now! https://thequad-citytimes.secondstreetapp.com/og/71d0ab4a-be8f-49c4-9ffb-8af6576bbafe/gallery/548854242

Check out Donte Nystrom Boozies Bar and Grill.

Hey friends! We have 38 shirts just hanging out at my house as left over!!!

Black: Grey:
S-6 S-2
M-2 M-6
L-5 L-5
XL-5 XL-3
2XL-2 2XL-2

We are giving them away, but obviously, donations for a shirt are always welcome! They were originally $20 sizes S-XL, and $25 for 2XL. But any amount donation is welcome 😃 but please do not feel obligated - i just want to get these shirts onto supportive bodies!

Please comment below if you’d like a shirt with the follow info:

Name
Size
Color
Quantity

And please SEND ME A PRIVATE MESSAGE on my PERSONAL PAGE, Jess Ryan so we can coordinate pick up/drop off and if you plan to “donate” towards the shirt.

ANY DONATIONS WILL GO DIRECTLY BACK TO DONTE 💜💜💜💜

Venmo if you’d like to donate towards a shirt:

Update on Donte: A Milestone and a New Mountain

Our boy rang the bell! I love the shirt he chose for this day!

On Tuesday, Donte finished his "precautionary" chemo following his surgery. We are exhaling a huge sigh of relief to have this phase behind us, but as many of you know, the battle doesn't always end when the treatment does.

We’ve been a bit quiet lately because, honestly, we were hoping some new hurdles would clear on their own. Unfortunately, chemo can be as hard on the body as the cancer itself, and Donte’s liver has taken a significant hit. We meet with a specialist this week to map out a recovery plan for his liver. We are very thankful he is young and otherwise healthy.

A heartfelt request to our friends and family:

Because Donte is a bartender and DJ, he is constantly surrounded by "celebration." But right now, alcohol is his worst enemy. To save his liver and his life, he must refrain completely. Not "just one shot" or "just a beer with the guys." We refuse to let a liver issue take what the cancer couldn't. Let that sink in. Please help us protect him by respecting this boundary—no exceptions. He is probably shaking his head right now reading this, but I am his mom and I love him and I need him to recover completely!

On top of the liver recovery, Donte is struggling to process food and has lost weight he can't afford to lose. He’s starting a regimen of steroids and Creon to help his body actually absorb nutrients and stop the painful cramping.

What’s next:
May 7th: Meet with Gastroenterologist
May 7th: Labs for Hepatologist to review
May 25-June 2 - Trip out west with me and Mike!
June 3rd: Follow-up CT Scan
June 4th: Oncology follow-up
TBD: Meet with Hepatologist from Loyola
Next 5 Years: Scans every 3–4 months to stay ahead of any recurrence.

We are so profoundly grateful for "Donte’s Tribe." Your prayers, donations, and vibes have carried us through the darkest days. This experience has changed us forever, and we hope to pay your kindness forward one day. For now, please keep the prayers coming—specifically for his discipline in abstaining from alcohol and for his liver to fully heal and the Creon to aid in his digestion of food.

With love and hope,

Tonya Kay Ryan

Hey friends and family - one of our loyal followers who made those beautiful blankets for the fundraisers was almost to her 5-year mark when they found another spot on her CT Scan. Leslie has a PET scan April 3 and her Oncologist visit to review the scan on April 13th. Leslie was diagnosed in 2021 with Stage 4 Renal Cell Kidney Cancer and Thyroid Cancer and went through her treatments and into remission so this is a very scary time for her. Please keep Leslie Howard in your prayers! We are hoping for good news from the PET scan, but if that is not the case then she will need more prayers for her to tolerate continued chemotherapy infusions!! I just wanted to share Donte's tribe with her! She has been so amazing to Donte!! Pictures are from her first fight in 2021~ Prayers to you Leslie!! Please keep us posted on your fight! https://www.facebook.com/LeslieStrongFundraiser is where she was putting updates previously and hopefully she will update this as she continues her fight as well!

Hey everyone! Donte has been doing great—healing, hanging out, and even working over the last few weeks!

While doctors are confident they removed the cancer, he’s starting follow-up chemo to be safe. He begins treatment Tuesday, March 24.

Here is the plan:

The Treatment: A weekly infusion (Gemcitabine) + a daily drug (Capecitabine).

The Schedule: The treatment involves 21-day cycles of therapy followed by a 1 week rest period, then a final round of 21-day cycle.

Donte is determined to keep working through this, so please keep the prayers and encouragement coming! He’s ready to take this head-on. 💪


**kcancer