Rally is proud to be the initial funder for the creation of the INSTRuCT Database with a Consortium Grant to Dr. Sam Volchenboum of the...
INSTRuCT Database for Rhabdomyosarcoma Impact
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Childhood Cancer
September Childhood Cancer Awareness Month 2021
This September, we have so many amazing things planned for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. We are incredibly excited for you to join us...
Childhood Cancer Facts
We want to give you the childhood cancer facts, so you know what that inspire us to Rally On towards our goal of finding better treatments...
Dean’s Reflections – June 2021
Hi Friends, The Rally Team came to me with an idea. And you know at Rally, if there is one thing we like, it is new ideas! They wanted to...
What is Big Data and Childhood Cancer Research
After being born and living in Turkey my whole life, I came to the US for college to study biological sciences at the University of...
My View Looking Forward
Before cancer, I was never a morning person, but now I love waking up in my home with the entire family under one roof. Most nights, I...
Discovering the Reality of Childhood Cancer Treatment
On our diagnosis day, we were told that our four-year-old Gus had Ewing Sarcoma. What doctors didn’t know was the particular type or...
Gus’ Journey Through Cancer
Gus, my 4-year-old son, was chasing me down the stairs on our way to the basement for our early morning workout. This particular morning,...
Cleaning Out the Medicine Cabinet
17 BOTTLES A few weeks ago, I cleaned out the medicine cabinet. That doesn’t sound super exciting, I know, but I threw away 17 bottles of...
What is an Astrocytoma?
An astrocytoma is a brain tumor that begins in astrocytes—a type of glial cell that supports nerve cells in the brain. Astrocytomas can be...
Happiness & Heartbreak: Life as a Pediatric Oncology Nurse
FINDING A HOME IN NURSING For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to work in pediatric oncology and help kids with cancer. When I...
“See You On Monday”
A year ago Friday I looked at the Rally staff and said, “See you on Monday.” On Saturday, I spent the day doing research on COVID-19. By...
What is Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH)?
Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disorder in which the body produces an overabundance of Langerhans cells. These cells, which...
What is Lymphoma?
Lymphoma is a cancer of the body’s lymphatic (lymph) system which is essential to the immune system. The lymphatic system is made up of a...
What is Ependymoma?
Ependymoma is a tumor that appears most often in the brain and sometimes in the spinal cord. It is a type of glioma, meaning it starts in...
Childhood Cancer
Brain Tumor Network Guides Patients and Empowers Care
A few months ago, Rally Mom Tiffany shared with Rally Foundation the outstanding support their family has been receiving from the Brain Tumor Network (BTN) for her son and Rally Kid, Logan: “BTN has been a wonderful resource for our family. They are responsive, knowledgeable and compassionate.” BTN is the largest brain tumor patient support organization of its kind in the U.S. Since 2014, BTN has provided free navigation services to almost 2,000 patients. BTN pediatric brain tumor navigation...
What Is A Second Opinion?
Hey Mom and Dad, Let’s chat, Cancer Parent to Cancer Parent, about seeking a second opinion. I’ll be the first to admit I was very nervous when seeking a second opinion. I did not want my child’s team to feel insulted or think that I didn’t trust them. We LOVE our team, and we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they love our daughter. And guess what? After receiving the second opinion, the first thing our primary doctor said was “Never feel bad about seeking a second opinion.” In the...
What Is CAR-T?
You may have heard of CAR T-cell therapy, also called CAR T, but what is it? It is an immunotherapy treatment that uses your child’s own immune cells, specifically the T-cells, to fight specific blood cancers. CAR-T can be a frontline treatment or an option if one or more treatments did not work, meaning the cancer is resistant to treatment, or if the cancer returned. Medical professionals do a blood draw to collect your child’s T-cells, a type of white blood cell. Then the T-cells are sent to...
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...
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...
What is Chemotherapy?
You just found out that your child has cancer. And that chemotherapy is part of the treatment plan. Most everyone has heard of chemotherapy. But what is it really? Chemotherapy is any drug used to stop the growth of cancer cells. Chemotherapy is designed to either kill cells or stop them from dividing. Is there just one chemotherapy? There are many different types of chemotherapy because different chemotherapies treat different types of cancer. Sometimes your child may receive several...