What Is a Bone Marrow Transplant?
You just learned that your child has to have a bone marrow transplant. It sounds ominous. You have a lot of questions. Like, what exactly is bone marrow and what is a bone marrow transplant? Bone marrow is the soft, fatty tissue inside your bones. It creates red and white blood cells, as well as platelets. In addition, bone marrow contains immature blood-forming cells known as hematopoietic stem cells, or HSCs. These stem cells are unspecialized, and they can either remain stem cells or mature into different kinds of blood cells. A bone marrow transplant is a medical procedure that replaces bone marrow that has been damaged or destroyed by disease, infection, or chemotherapy. It involves transplanting healthy blood stem cells into the patient so that they can travel to the patient’s bone marrow where they start producing new blood cells and promote growth of new bone marrow. Healthy...
Rally Career Development Research Grant Award Update
An Update on the $300,000 Rally Career Development Award to Dr. Rodriguez-Blanco for Medulloblastoma Research In December 2022, Rally Foundation’s COO Reid Crowe presented a $300,000 Career Development Research Grant to Dr. Jezabel Rodriguez-Blanco, Ph.D. at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Her research is focused on medulloblastoma, the most common pediatric brain tumor, with the goal of finding new novel therapeutics for this underserved group of patients. We sat down with Dr. Rodriguez-Blanco to see how her research was progressing. Excerpts of our interview with this brilliant childhood cancer researcher are below: What does it mean to your career to win the Rally Career Development Grant with the goal of expediting your research to obtain federal funding? The career development award I got from Rally was my first grant as an independent investigator. Early on,...
What Is a Lumbar Puncture? What is a Spinal Tap?
It’s scary enough to have your child diagnosed with cancer. But on top of that you hear all these new words and terms, which can be overwhelming, such as lumbar puncture or spinal tap. A lumbar procedure is the same thing as a spinal tap. It is a commonly performed procedure to diagnose and manage a variety of diseases including cancer. It is an invasive procedure used to collect the cerebral fluid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. A lumbar puncture/spinal tap may also be done to measure the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid or to inject medicine, including chemotherapy, directly into the spinal cord and central nervous system. To prepare your child for a lumbar puncture/spinal tap, tell your child what to expect in the hospital and during the procedure. Ask your child’s healthcare team if you can stay with your child during the procedure, and if it’s OK to bring a...
Quick and Simple Fundraising Ideas
We are delighted that you are interested in fundraising ideas to help raise funds for kids fighting the cancer beast! Here are some great FUN(d)raising ideas for your business, elementary, middle or high school class, family group, scout troop, retail store, restaurant, church group or professional organization. Social Media: Set up a Facebook fundraiser for your birthday or anniversary, or in honor or memory of a loved one. Follow Rally on all our social channels: Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Group Activities: Participate in the #RallyFit 47 Challenge. Host a 5K Run/Walk, Talent Show, Dance-A-Thon or Cycle Ride. Have fun at a Grown-Up Field Day, Pickleball or Cornhole or Tennis. Tournament Rally 4 Quarters 4 Research – Set a goal and collect loose change. Schools, scout troops and youth groups love this one. Professional or Community Organizations: Organize a Craft/Art Fair like...
What Would You Tell a Newly Diagnosed ALL Family? | Part 2
Did your family receive a new diagnosis of ALL? We know that sometimes the best people to talk to during moments such as these are those that have been through it themselves. Here at Rally we talked extensively with three ALL mothers who are in the unique position to offer their personal advice and observations during this journey. This is Part II of the wisdom and practical advice from Rally Moms Amy, Brigitte, and Nour. About Your Marriage / Relationship: Brigette: Consider marriage counseling even if you are in a good place in your marriage. Treatment has a way of dividing marriages many times before you realize it. Amy: If you are married, protect your marriage. Our experience was that of becoming roommates who rarely saw each other, were always tired, were always stressed, and were not able to have conversations beyond treatment decisions, dealing with siblings, and the very...
Wisdom and Advice from ALL Rally Moms | Part 1
If you’re reading this, someone you know, it might even be your child, may have been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). As shocking as it might be, Rally Foundation wants you to know that you are not alone. We are here for you. We know that you have a thousand questions, so we went straight to the moms who have children with ALL to hear their personal advice and observations. This is Part I of the wisdom and practical advice from three Rally ALL moms: Amy, Brigitte and Nour. About Expectations: Amy: This is a marathon. Everything is overwhelming in the beginning, and people, including doctors, will tell you that the next phase is easier. They aren't lying, but honestly, it doesn't often seem easier. Two to three years is a long time. The phases come and go, and each has their own ease and their own challenges. The treatment plan is a guideline. You cannot plan around...
What Is a Bone Marrow Transplant?
You just learned that your child has to have a bone marrow transplant. It sounds ominous. You have a lot of questions. Like, what exactly is bone marrow and what is a bone marrow transplant? Bone marrow is the soft, fatty tissue inside your bones. It creates red and white blood cells, as well as platelets. In addition, bone marrow contains immature blood-forming cells known as hematopoietic stem cells, or HSCs. These stem cells are unspecialized, and they can either remain stem cells or mature...
Rally Career Development Research Grant Award Update
An Update on the $300,000 Rally Career Development Award to Dr. Rodriguez-Blanco for Medulloblastoma Research In December 2022, Rally Foundation’s COO Reid Crowe presented a $300,000 Career Development Research Grant to Dr. Jezabel Rodriguez-Blanco, Ph.D. at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Her research is focused on medulloblastoma, the most common pediatric brain tumor, with the goal of finding new novel therapeutics for this underserved group of patients. We sat down with...
What Is a Lumbar Puncture? What is a Spinal Tap?
It’s scary enough to have your child diagnosed with cancer. But on top of that you hear all these new words and terms, which can be overwhelming, such as lumbar puncture or spinal tap. A lumbar procedure is the same thing as a spinal tap. It is a commonly performed procedure to diagnose and manage a variety of diseases including cancer. It is an invasive procedure used to collect the cerebral fluid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. A lumbar puncture/spinal tap may also be done to...
Quick and Simple Fundraising Ideas
We are delighted that you are interested in fundraising ideas to help raise funds for kids fighting the cancer beast! Here are some great FUN(d)raising ideas for your business, elementary, middle or high school class, family group, scout troop, retail store, restaurant, church group or professional organization. Social Media: Set up a Facebook fundraiser for your birthday or anniversary, or in honor or memory of a loved one. Follow Rally on all our social channels: Facebook, Instagram and...
What Would You Tell a Newly Diagnosed ALL Family? | Part 2
Did your family receive a new diagnosis of ALL? We know that sometimes the best people to talk to during moments such as these are those that have been through it themselves. Here at Rally we talked extensively with three ALL mothers who are in the unique position to offer their personal advice and observations during this journey. This is Part II of the wisdom and practical advice from Rally Moms Amy, Brigitte, and Nour. About Your Marriage / Relationship: Brigette: Consider marriage...
Wisdom and Advice from ALL Rally Moms | Part 1
If you’re reading this, someone you know, it might even be your child, may have been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). As shocking as it might be, Rally Foundation wants you to know that you are not alone. We are here for you. We know that you have a thousand questions, so we went straight to the moms who have children with ALL to hear their personal advice and observations. This is Part I of the wisdom and practical advice from three Rally ALL moms: Amy, Brigitte and Nour....