Dear Presh (a.k.a. Sarah), My heart gets a little heavy this time of year. I start to wonder why and then realize that it means another...
Dear Presh
read more
Rally Stories
You Above ALL: Rally Kid Ava Paige’s Songwriting Story
A PATH TO SUCCESS Rally Kid Ava Paige has been writing songs and playing guitar for most of her life. She always dreamed of becoming a...
Dear William
Dear William, There are so many memories. So many. You were the inspiration for Rally. The first Rally Kid. Your driveway was the prayer...
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...
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...
Volunteering For A Cure
INSPIRED TO VOLUNTEER Inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes. The nonprofit industry as a whole is very inspiring to me, and there are...
Childhood Cancer Superheroes
In the fight against childhood cancer, there are many superheroes. In honor of National Superhero Day, we’d like to recognize some of...
Rally’s Counseling Program: Healing Childhood Cancer Families on Their Journey to the Bell
The childhood cancer journey takes an emotional and psychological toll on the whole family. For this second post in the Journey to the...
Rally Good Meals: Feeding Childhood Cancer Families on Their Journey to the Bell
Rally not only impacts the lives of children with cancer, but the lives of their whole families. I know this because I am the sister of a...
Two Girls. Three Cancers. One Goal.
When Rally Kid Peyton was 15, her life was going as planned. She filled her time with rigorous academics, cross country and lacrosse....
Rally Stories
The Spark Has Ignited A Fire: How Rally’s Seed Funding Paved the Way for Dr. Volchenboum and the PCDC
At Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research, we often describe ourselves as “philanthropic seed investors in the next great discovery.” That’s because Rally invests early and continues to invest as projects make progress. It’s also because we like to take a few risks when it comes to funding the more “unconventional” research projects. After all, it only takes one spark to light a fire, and that spark—that next great discovery—could pave the way to finding a cure. Dr. Sam Volchenboum’s...
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 wake up around 3 am in a panic. Did I dream up this terrible nightmare that my 4-year-old son had cancer and had four inches of his leg cut off? I rush to Gus’s room to check on him and sometimes lay next to him. I tell him I love him to the moon and back and that I am so proud of him. I know these moments are what matter most in life. Right now, it is easy to...
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 variant he had. Tumor Sequencing Tumor sequencing is vital, as some variants of Ewing’s sarcomas have poorer outcomes, require specific drugs, and prohibit the use of other drugs. The variant determines the treatment plan. Parents need to know the type of cancer their child is fighting- and if the hospital doesn’t know, parents should demand to have the tumor...
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, Gus jumped from the stairs onto the floor and took an extra step. Something seemed off, but he didn’t complain after he landed, so we moved on with our day. That afternoon, Gus complained about pain in his leg when his mom, Heidi, picked him up from preschool. But by that evening, he was running around again. The following morning, he was limping, though not...
Dear Presh
Dear Presh (a.k.a. Sarah), My heart gets a little heavy this time of year. I start to wonder why and then realize that it means another year has passed since I last saw you. Last held your hand. Last hugged you. You fought Ewing’s Sarcoma with such poise, grace and unwavering faith in the Lord that I could only stand in awe. I didn’t meet you and your family until after your first battle with Ewing’s. I actually remember exactly where we met and how we immediately hit it off. I remember we...
You Above ALL: Rally Kid Ava Paige’s Songwriting Story
A PATH TO SUCCESS Rally Kid Ava Paige has been writing songs and playing guitar for most of her life. She always dreamed of becoming a successful songwriter, and her natural talents put her well on her way at a young age. Ava has played live shows in Nashville for many years, even holding a standing gig at The George Jones since age 13. She has played iconic venues such as The Listening Room and The Bluebird Cafe and frequently participates in songwriter shows around town that include some...