Our Founder's Story

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My name is Ryan Colby, and Waystream was born out of the hardest season of my life. After a routine colonoscopy just after my 50th birthday, doctors discovered a massive tumor that turned out to be Stage 3 colorectal cancer. What followed was a long year of surgeries, a temporary ileostomy, and twelve rounds of chemotherapy that left me weak, sick, and questioning everything. But what hurt most wasn’t the pain — it was the loneliness. I felt cut off from community and from the man I used to be.

In that isolation, I began to see something missing. Men like me were walking through cancer with almost no faith-based support — no place to process fear, identity, or faith through a Christian lens. There were medical programs and secular groups, but nothing that addressed the soul of a man in suffering. What I longed for was brotherhood — honest, Christ-centered community that goes beyond small talk and into spiritual restoration.

That longing became a calling. Waystream represents the two truths that carried me through: Jesus Christ is the Way, and He gives living water that never runs dry. The name itself is a reminder that even in the wilderness, there’s a stream of grace that leads us home. Waystream exists to help men facing cancer reclaim courage, restore faith, and rebuild their lives through Christ.

I’ve dedicated the rest of my life to that mission — to love God, love others, and make disciples. Waystream is my obedience to that call: a Christian brotherhood built in the wilderness, sustained by faith, and flowing from living water.