Helping Childhood Cancer Families Carry The Weight
When you donate to Rally, you fund much-needed childhood cancer research—but there’s more to it. Childhood cancer changes EVERYTHING. It affects the entire family dynamic. It also changes the family’s support system. When your “new normal” includes multiple hospital stays and isolation to protect immune systems, relationships will naturally suffer. By giving to Rally, you help us stand beside families when they can no longer stand on their own. Brigitte is mom to Rally Kid Briley, who is beating acute lymphoblastic leukemia after 2.5 years of harsh treatment. Brigitte shared how childhood cancer affected their family—both personally and socially—and how Rally helped them carry the weight. Walking through a childhood cancer diagnosis feels like an invasion. If asked to describe it in a few words, I would say HEAVY, LIFE-CHANGING and HEARTBREAKING. Without our Rally family by our side,...
Rally Kid Lex Dreams of Being a Hematology Oncologist
Why do we Rally for Childhood Cancer Research? The simple answer is #ForTheirFuture. When we fund the best and most promising research studies, our deepest hope is that we’ll find better treatments with fewer long-term side effects, and one day, a cure for all childhood cancers. Rally, with your help, gives hope to all of the kids and families who are bravely battling childhood cancer, so they can dream of a future without harmful treatments, endless hospital stays and pain (both mental and physical) that lasts long after the cancer has gone. Rally Kid Lex is one of those children who has always had big dreams for the future, and if you’ve been following along with his story, you probably know that he’s not the type of kid to let cancer get in the way. After being diagnosed with ALL, the most common childhood cancer, Lex and his family knew they had a long battle ahead of them. His...
How Rally Kid Lex Stays Positive While Battling Cancer During a Global Pandemic
What’s it like to be battling childhood cancer during a global pandemic? For Rally Kid Lex, who is undergoing treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), COVID-19 has presented a new set of challenges that no one was expecting. Cancer treatment was already hard enough—now Lex, along with countless other immunocompromised kids, has to take extra precautions to avoid getting sick. Why? Cancer treatment suppresses the body’s immune system, making kids like Lex more vulnerable to catching illnesses and making it more difficult for them to recover as well. These extra precautions haven’t been easy on Lex or his family. “When Lex was first diagnosed, we had the support of the community,” shared Lex’s mom, Ashley. “They would bring us meals and visit Lex, but when COVID hit, all of that stopped because we just didn’t know what was safe and what wasn’t.” The concept of social distancing...
Rally Kid Keren’s Future Is Bright
Childhood cancer doesn’t just affect childhood. The effects of fighting cancer can last a lifetime. When you give to Rally, you help kids like Keren continue to thrive—despite challenges they may face after their battle. Throughout her childhood cancer journey, Keren’s personal motto has been “let your light shine.” Keren and her family shared their story with us last December, and we recently checked in to see how things have changed for them over the past year. Now a seventh grader, Keren started a new school this fall. She is very happy with the academic and social environment, and she has even begun learning computer coding! Keren enjoyed swimming competitively prior to cancer. Since finishing treatment and becoming more comfortable with her prosthetic, she has gradually resumed physical activities. She does occasionally struggle with the fit of her prosthetic and injuries from...
Rally Kids Maylee & Kiki: #FORTHEIRFUTURE Of Friendship
When you give to Rally, you aren’t just funding research—you are funding childhoods. You’re giving kids the chance to experience life, form lasting friendships and shape their futures. Maylee was first diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) when she was 3 years old. She underwent seven months of aggressive chemotherapy and remained in remission for two years. Unfortunately, Maylee relapsed and had to endure more harsh treatments. Maylee is now 8 years old and cancer-free, but she struggles with complications from her bone marrow transplant and graft versus host disease. Kiki was only a toddler when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). She was enrolled in a clinical trial with an additional chemotherapy drug, so her treatment lasted longer than the standard two-and-a-half-year protocol. Now just 5 five years old, Kiki is already experiencing treatment-related...
Rally Kid Danielle is Looking to the Future
When you give to Rally, you help kids like Danielle see a future beyond cancer. A future where they can grow up, go to college and make a difference for others. A future where they can achieve their dreams. Prior to her cancer battle, Danielle was a healthy, active child who enjoyed basketball and gymnastics. She had only been sick twice in seven years before she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). For Danielle’s family, life will always be defined as “before cancer” and “after cancer”. Danielle was “lucky” to only spend 59 nights in the hospital during her two and a half years of treatment. Overall, she saw the hospital and the outpatient clinic as a happy place—a place to go see her friends. The nurses and fellow patients served as Danielle’s social life, which had been taken away by cancer. Cancer didn’t just steal childhood experiences from Danielle. Her older...
Helping Childhood Cancer Families Carry The Weight
When you donate to Rally, you fund much-needed childhood cancer research—but there’s more to it. Childhood cancer changes EVERYTHING. It affects the entire family dynamic. It also changes the family’s support system. When your “new normal” includes multiple hospital stays and isolation to protect immune systems, relationships will naturally suffer. By giving to Rally, you help us stand beside families when they can no longer stand on their own. Brigitte is mom to Rally Kid Briley, who is...
Rally Kid Lex Dreams of Being a Hematology Oncologist
Why do we Rally for Childhood Cancer Research? The simple answer is #ForTheirFuture. When we fund the best and most promising research studies, our deepest hope is that we’ll find better treatments with fewer long-term side effects, and one day, a cure for all childhood cancers. Rally, with your help, gives hope to all of the kids and families who are bravely battling childhood cancer, so they can dream of a future without harmful treatments, endless hospital stays and pain (both mental and...
How Rally Kid Lex Stays Positive While Battling Cancer During a Global Pandemic
What’s it like to be battling childhood cancer during a global pandemic? For Rally Kid Lex, who is undergoing treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), COVID-19 has presented a new set of challenges that no one was expecting. Cancer treatment was already hard enough—now Lex, along with countless other immunocompromised kids, has to take extra precautions to avoid getting sick. Why? Cancer treatment suppresses the body’s immune system, making kids like Lex more vulnerable to catching...
Rally Kid Keren’s Future Is Bright
Childhood cancer doesn’t just affect childhood. The effects of fighting cancer can last a lifetime. When you give to Rally, you help kids like Keren continue to thrive—despite challenges they may face after their battle. Throughout her childhood cancer journey, Keren’s personal motto has been “let your light shine.” Keren and her family shared their story with us last December, and we recently checked in to see how things have changed for them over the past year. Now a seventh grader, Keren...
Rally Kids Maylee & Kiki: #FORTHEIRFUTURE Of Friendship
When you give to Rally, you aren’t just funding research—you are funding childhoods. You’re giving kids the chance to experience life, form lasting friendships and shape their futures. Maylee was first diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) when she was 3 years old. She underwent seven months of aggressive chemotherapy and remained in remission for two years. Unfortunately, Maylee relapsed and had to endure more harsh treatments. Maylee is now 8 years old and cancer-free, but she...
Rally Kid Danielle is Looking to the Future
When you give to Rally, you help kids like Danielle see a future beyond cancer. A future where they can grow up, go to college and make a difference for others. A future where they can achieve their dreams. Prior to her cancer battle, Danielle was a healthy, active child who enjoyed basketball and gymnastics. She had only been sick twice in seven years before she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). For Danielle’s family, life will always be defined as “before cancer” and...