Rushing to Beat Childhood Cancer
It takes a village to beat childhood cancer and anyone, anywhere, can make a difference in the fight against the #1 disease killer of children in our country. From simple Facebook fundraisers to outside-the-box ideas, Rally will help you get started! Griffin Caldwell dedicated his 2019 football season to raise funds for Rally in honor of Rally Kid Lex, an 11-year-old who is fighting Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Below Griffin shares his experience. He hopes to inspire you to set up your own Facebook fundraiser for Giving Tuesday, when your donations will be doubled! Last football season, I dedicated my rushing yards to raise money for Rally Foundation in honor of Rally Kid Lex. Lex is a great kid and a friend of my younger brother. When I first learned of Lex’s leukemia diagnosis, I wanted to do something to help. Being able to give back while doing something I love—playing...
Meet Rally Kid Lex: A Fun-Loving 11-Year-Old Who’s Fighting Blood Cancer
There’s no way around it: Childhood cancer is sneaky, and it happens unexpectedly. Symptoms can be mild and are often confused with other common ailments like colds, growing pains or headaches. For Rally Kid Lex, it all started with a couple of those “common” symptoms: tiredness and a lack of appetite. It was August, and Lex had just started the new school year. His parents naturally assumed that he was simply getting acclimated to the full days at school, followed by play practice. Despite the long days, he had little appetite and often wouldn’t be able to eat his dinner. “It was always in the back of my head that something was off,” shared Lex’s mom, Ashley. “I knew it in my heart.” Not long after, Lex woke up in the middle of the night screaming in pain that radiated throughout his leg. Mom had a hunch that these weren’t normal growing pains, and off to the ER they went. As a...
A Letter from Elaine
It’s been fifteen and a half years since a malignant tumor the size of a grapefruit was removed from the left kidney of our son, James. The feelings of despair and the fear of losing our eleven-year-old constantly gnawed at our hearts. Every time I meet a parent of a child faced with cancer, I empathize deeply with them. As James’s treatment progressed, we muddled through the pains and disruption of surgeries, tests and multiple days and nights in the hospital. It dawned on us that, while this chapter in our lives was difficult, there were many families on the oncology floor going through much worse. First, James had the benefit of being a part of a research trial, which gave us added hope that he could beat this dreadful disease. Many parents are told the only protocol available for their child is the same old treatment that has been around for decades. (Childhood cancer research is...
Rally On for Osteosarcoma Research
During this pandemic, my mantra has been “adjust and readjust.” I have shared that I learned this from the Rally families who never cease to amaze me with how often and quickly they adjust and readjust. Today, I stand in awe of 17-year-old Rally Kid Amanda and how she has adjusted and readjusted. Less than a year ago, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. She was a junior in high school at the time. Amanda has endured so much: a horrific, intense and painful treatment protocol that has not gone smoothly, surgery to remove part of her leg and replace it with a titanium rod, a full knee replacement and the loss of her hair. Amanda met two other teenage girls, Ellie and Catherine, who were also fighting the osteosarcoma beast. They become the “Osteo Trio”—supporting each other and becoming great friends. A couple months ago, the Osteo Trio lost one of their own,...
Rally Kid Amanda Tells Her Story
Hi everyone! My name is Amanda. I am 17 years old and a rising senior in high school. I am a Rally Kid, as well as the founder of The Osteosarcoma Society. I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, in my right femur on December 3, 2019 after two months of complaining of knee pains. I need your help. But first, I want to share my story. I had gone to my parents multiple times to inform them of my discomfort. They assumed it was due to lack of activity and I just needed to exercise more. However, that made no difference, and over time, my knee began to swell up more and more each day. After spending Thanksgiving in Miami with my extended family, we returned to Atlanta and I begged my mom to take me to a doctor. We went to get an x-ray and the results presented a large mass eating away at my bone. Worried sick, my mom scheduled an MRI for the following day. My family was...
National Glioblastoma (GBM) Awareness Day
WRITTEN BY RALLY MOM EMILY Lucy was born on November 13, 2015 in Roswell, GA at North Fulton Hospital. I had a normal pregnancy and a textbook delivery. Lucy was the fourth and final beautiful baby girl to complete our family. She was a perfectly healthy child with no sign of illness, until a few weeks after her 4th birthday in Fall 2019. Lucy’s symptoms first presented as a low-grade fever and a stiff neck. Her first visit to the ER was December 1, 2019 and she was diagnosed with a strained neck, called torticollis. After a few sleepless nights and periods of neck and arm spasms, we ended up back in the ER. My husband, Jonathan, and I explained our neurological concerns and insisted that the doctor watch her walk across the room—something she could barely do. She was off-balance and her muscles were weak. We ended up discharged with a muscle relaxer for Lucy’s neck muscles. The...
Rushing to Beat Childhood Cancer
It takes a village to beat childhood cancer and anyone, anywhere, can make a difference in the fight against the #1 disease killer of children in our country. From simple Facebook fundraisers to outside-the-box ideas, Rally will help you get started! Griffin Caldwell dedicated his 2019 football season to raise funds for Rally in honor of Rally Kid Lex, an 11-year-old who is fighting Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Below Griffin shares his experience. He hopes to inspire you to set up your...
Meet Rally Kid Lex: A Fun-Loving 11-Year-Old Who’s Fighting Blood Cancer
There’s no way around it: Childhood cancer is sneaky, and it happens unexpectedly. Symptoms can be mild and are often confused with other common ailments like colds, growing pains or headaches. For Rally Kid Lex, it all started with a couple of those “common” symptoms: tiredness and a lack of appetite. It was August, and Lex had just started the new school year. His parents naturally assumed that he was simply getting acclimated to the full days at school, followed by play practice. Despite...
A Letter from Elaine
It’s been fifteen and a half years since a malignant tumor the size of a grapefruit was removed from the left kidney of our son, James. The feelings of despair and the fear of losing our eleven-year-old constantly gnawed at our hearts. Every time I meet a parent of a child faced with cancer, I empathize deeply with them. As James’s treatment progressed, we muddled through the pains and disruption of surgeries, tests and multiple days and nights in the hospital. It dawned on us that, while this...
Rally On for Osteosarcoma Research
During this pandemic, my mantra has been “adjust and readjust.” I have shared that I learned this from the Rally families who never cease to amaze me with how often and quickly they adjust and readjust. Today, I stand in awe of 17-year-old Rally Kid Amanda and how she has adjusted and readjusted. Less than a year ago, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. She was a junior in high school at the time. Amanda has endured so much: a horrific, intense and painful treatment...
Rally Kid Amanda Tells Her Story
Hi everyone! My name is Amanda. I am 17 years old and a rising senior in high school. I am a Rally Kid, as well as the founder of The Osteosarcoma Society. I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, in my right femur on December 3, 2019 after two months of complaining of knee pains. I need your help. But first, I want to share my story. I had gone to my parents multiple times to inform them of my discomfort. They assumed it was due to lack of activity and I just needed to...
National Glioblastoma (GBM) Awareness Day
WRITTEN BY RALLY MOM EMILY Lucy was born on November 13, 2015 in Roswell, GA at North Fulton Hospital. I had a normal pregnancy and a textbook delivery. Lucy was the fourth and final beautiful baby girl to complete our family. She was a perfectly healthy child with no sign of illness, until a few weeks after her 4th birthday in Fall 2019. Lucy’s symptoms first presented as a low-grade fever and a stiff neck. Her first visit to the ER was December 1, 2019 and she was diagnosed with a strained...