Rally Kid Toni
Rally Kid Toni was 5 years old and just starting kindergarten when she was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a brain cancer. In an instant, she faced years of proton radiation, chemotherapy and multiple surgeries, often in different cities, with her family separated for long stretches along the way.
Today, at ten years old and four years past treatment, Toni is beating brain cancer, and turning her experience into something powerful.
During her treatment, Toni formed a special friendship with another cancer patient, Marguerite, who was battling DIPG, a different type of brain cancer. The two families were connected through a mutual friend after Marguerite began experiencing symptoms similar to Toni’s before doctors discovered her tumor. Having already experienced the fear and uncertainty of a childhood cancer diagnosis, Toni’s family reached out to offer support and encouragement.
Although they had spoken through phone calls and text messages beforehand, Toni first met Marguerite in person at her fifth birthday party in Louisiana when Toni was 7 years old. The girls instantly became best friends. Over the next year, the families stayed closely connected, visiting whenever they could and supporting one another through treatment. Toni was also able to attend Marguerite’s sixth birthday party just months before she passed away in 2024.
For the past five years, Toni has hosted a lemonade stand each September as part of Rally Foundation’s 47 Faces campaign, benefiting Rally Gulf Coast in honor of both her own childhood cancer journey and the memory of her friend, Marguerite. What began with lemonade, t-shirts and stickers has grown into a meaningful community event held at Allen Turner Hyundai in Pensacola. Last year, Toni raised an incredible $6,500! This year she’s expanding to a second location in Auburn, Alabama to reach even more supporters.
The 47 Faces campaign was created around a sobering truth: every day, 47 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer. Through this movement, Rally Kids like Toni share their stories and bring together their communities to fund critical childhood cancer research, each in their own unique way.
Toni chose lemonade.
And through it, she’s honoring her journey, remembering her friend and helping create hope for kids still in the fight.
You can be part of this story, too. Whether it’s a lemonade stand or something entirely your own, every effort helps move us closer to a world where no child faces cancer alone.
Join 47 Faces today and help fund lifesaving childhood cancer research.