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...
What is Big Data and Childhood Cancer Research
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Childhood Cancer
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...
What is Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)?
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a type of blood cancer that causes an overproduction of white blood cells. These cells grow abnormally...
Adjust, Readjust and Hope
By: Dean Crowe, Founder & CEO Last year, when COVID-19 hit, I thought about our Rally families and how they handle everything that is...
A Letter from Dean – December 2020
Thank you for opening this letter. And for caring about kids fighting cancer. What a year. We can all agree that 2020 is not a year we...
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...
Childhood Cancer
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...
What is Radiation?
Radiation therapy is targeted energy used to destroy cancer cells, shrink tumors and/or alleviate certain cancer-related symptoms. Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays and other forms of radiation therapy to damage the DNA in cancer cells, killing them or depriving them of their ability to grow or divide. Radiation can be used in several ways: Primary treatment to destroy cancer cells In combination with other treatments to stop the growth of cancer cells Before another treatment to...
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....
What is an MRI?
MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Having an MRI does not hurt, and it is safe – no radioactivity is present. It may take up to one hour, or, if your child needs an anesthetic, most of the day. An MRI scan provides diagnostic information not available when using plain X-rays, ultrasounds, or CT scans. Using a large magnet, radio waves and a computer, an MRI scanner creates very clear and detailed images of organs and tissues in the body. During the MRI, your child will need to lie very...