Kim Green, a writer for Her Nashville magazine’s online blog, wrote a great piece depicting the story behind Rally Nashville and their event coming up on September 26th and 27th, Rally Mania, in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

The day after Father’s Day two years ago, Kim Sigmund sat in stunned silence with her 4-year-old daughter Charlotte in a pediatrician’s office, with unimaginable phrases swirling in her head. Low blood count, the doctor said. Possibly leukemia.

“I was like, ‘No way,’” recalls Sigmund, expelling a tense laugh fraught with all the terror and relief of her family’s two-year ordeal.
Kim had little time to indulge in disbelief. The daily realities of Charlotte’s illness began the day after her diagnosis. “Three blood transfusions, having surgery to install a port-o-cath, immediately starting chemo,” Kim says. “She had to take so much medicine in the beginning. She’s 4 years old! She doesn’t understand what she has to do. We had to hold her down, pry her mouth open. It’s just horrible.”
Her voice wavers for a half-second, a barely perceptible note of anguish beneath the resolute composure she’s had to master. “Coming out of the hospital … she was a different child. She was shy, she was timid, she was fearful of adults … and over the past 26 months, she has never felt good.

“The medicines are just … I mean, they’ve cured her. They’ve saved her life, but they have been very … um … difficult,” says Kim soberly, an understatement encompassing all the ways childhood cancer shreds a mother’s heart. First, there’s the shattering possibility of losing a child, a threat that never ceases to lurk in the mind’s dimmer corners, even decades later.
But even with survival, there are other gut-wrenching losses, like missing out on a regular, healthy-kid childhood. Although Kim has avoided telling Charlotte the full implications of her illness, she says her daughter understands that she’s different from other children. “We’ve tried to be as normal as possible,” she says. “We’ve continued ballet classes, she’s taken gymnastics and swimming, but she just can’t do it like a regular kid.”

Exhausted and worried moms like Kim and her friend Elaine Kay, whose 17-year-old son was diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer more than five years ago, yearn for the kind of hectic ordinariness many families take for granted. Elaine remembers a day, a few months after her son had finished his treatments, when she heard her kids bickering for the first time in more than a year. “I just started laughing almost to the point of tears,” Elaine recalls. “I’m like, ‘My kids are fighting! We’re normal!’”

Elaine lets out a joyful laugh full of hard-earned wisdom, and she’s quickly joined by Kim and Kim’s sister-in-law Jenni Rodgers. The three call themselves an “unfortunate sorority,” a stalwart sisterhood of moms who’ve declared war on childhood cancer. Earlier this year, Elaine launched a grassroots effort in Nashville to raise money for the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research, a nonprofit that funds a broad range of childhood cancer research projects. And she drafted her friends Jenni and Kim to help.

“The Rally Foundation is the kind of organization … where you’re able to see in clear, concrete ways that a difference is being made,” says Charlotte’s aunt Jenni, a cheery brunette whose inexorable ebullience has made her de facto spokesman for this single-minded sisterhood. Because the Rally Foundation is mostly volunteer-driven, Jenni explains, 93 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to nationwide research projects.

“Really, we are saving children’s lives,” she says.

When discussing cancer, there’s a language people use; perhaps more than with any other illness, we tend to invoke the lexicon of combat, a contest of will and strength. We “fight” the disease, sometimes “beat it,” and too often “lose the battle.” If, indeed, the effort to cure cancer can be likened to warfare, these three mom-generals are just beginning to mobilize their legions. They know they’ve been lucky. “Our children have come through this, but that doesn’t absolve us from responsibility to help.” says Jenni.

As the adult women chat, Charlotte sits quietly on an oversized dining room chair, pixie-like in a pink skirt and the blonde ponytails that have finally grown back, her impossibly bright blue eyes darting around the room. She just finished her final treatment a few weeks ago and is shy about answering questions about how she’s feeling. But her older sister Caroline leaps at the chance to speak for her. “I can really see a difference in the past couple of days!” she gushes.

Jenni glances affectionately at her shy niece. “It’s always going to be painful for us to remember the path that Charlotte’s life has taken, and her graceful walk on that path,” she says. “But to be able to take that emotion and transfer that into this opportunity to be a part of Rally is the best way that I can honor that journey.”

When I first started working for Rally, I was the first full-time staff member (after Dean) that was hired. I watched Rally grow from sharing an office with a marketing firm to expanding to build our own office. I also was able to help in the hiring of one to two interns each semester and three more full time staff members. It has been such a privilege to watch the organization grow the way it has these past few years. I have so many wonderful memories at Rally. I look back and think about all the wonderful PTA moms, NHS presidents and cheer leading coaches I had the opportunity to work with in planning their school’s Rally 4 Quarters 4 Research fundraiser. I think about all the Rally Athletes I have hugged at the finish line of their marathon in tears as they told me “thinking about my Rally Kid got me to finish this race”. I think about all the spring training events and media tours Rally held and about giving cancer kids the opportunity to meet and blow bubbles with Major League Baseball players. I think about all the wonderful women I got the privilege of working with to plan the Benefit Bash and Celebrity Softball Game and all the countless hours the committee spent to make the event perfect. I think about all the 5Ks and cycling events I have worked with Rally Kid families to plan in order to do something in honor of their child. I think about all the generous sponsors who caught the vision of Rally and truly understood why we did what we did.

Most importantly, I think back on the memories I have with so many of our special Rally Kid families. I think about sharing in their struggles when they were watching their children suffer from treatment or when they found out the child had relapsed. I think about sharing in their victories when a scan or MRI comes back clear and about sharing in their grief when one of them didn’t survive their fight. I think about their courage, strength and desire to do something to help find better treatments with fewer long term side effects. They are the heart of Rally. Our Rally Kid families “get it” more than any of us.

This past March, my husband, Steven, and I decided that this summer was the right timing for us to leave Atlanta so that he could go to seminary full time and pursue his Master’s of Divinity degree and ordination to become a pastor. Even though we knew this was the right timing, leaving Rally was the hardest part about our decision for me.

Steven and I just moved to Charlotte, NC, and Steven will be a full-time seminary student at Reformed Theological Seminary. I will be working in development full-time for the Barnabas Center (http://www.thebarnabascenter.org/). The focus of the organization is two fold: counseling and training/teaching. The heart of Barnabas is to help people through struggle. They do this through their counseling offices and by training pastors and community leaders so that they can impact their communities more effectively. I am excited to be heading up the development team at Barnabas and hope to help them make an even bigger impact in the Charlotte community.

I have spent the last three and a half years serving as the Community Development Manager for the Rally Foundation, and leaving the staff is so hard. Even though I am no longer on full time staff, I am excited to now be serving on Rally’s Board of Advisors, and I can guarantee you I will continue to “Rally On”.

Two-year old Hailey Trainer is the longest living survivor of her form of brain cancer. A few months ago there was a wonderful birthday celebration of her life. She rolled on the floor and wrestled with her older brother. Now, another tumor has been found.

Amid the horrible news comes the “why” and the wrenching decision-making of the parents, particularly when they’ve just been through this. I was told one of the really hard parts of the recurrence of cancer is the fact that you know what you are going to be going through. I guess this is time for the Body to come surround the Trainers with love, support, and to bathe them in prayer.
I have started reading a book called Radical with the subtitle “taking your faith back from the American Dream”. The first couple of chapters have shared the cost of faith in the third world. Life-risking faith. Pain-submitting faith. I suppose the Trainers can relate a bit right now.

Pray that the Trainers faith remains strong—that they can somehow hold fast to God as they deal with their struggles here on earth. And that the faith of those (myself included) who hear of this story, or are close with the Trainers perhaps can understand that some of God’s allowance is out of the scope of our understanding. And that all He wants us to do is trust Him. And that we are to recognize our alien status in this world. And that He has another world intended for us. Like His first.

Written by Rick Fossum

When I accepted my job as the new Program Development Manager with Rally, I was extremely excited for this new opportunity. Although, I have to admit, I needed to clarify immediately if running marathons was actually in the job description. After all, I was told I would be running marathons, 5Ks, softball tournaments, and various other sporting events. In a panic, I immediately questioned myself and my retired athletic ability and hit the books to do some research. “A marathon is how long?!” I asked myself. “3 miles?” “No. Wait. That’s the other one I can barely run… a 5K.” It wasn’t until I attended my first marathon in Seattle that I realized the only running necessary would be coming up with ideas on how to develop the Rally Athlete program… Phew! .

My passion for sports and business development comes from my parents. I owe everything to them as they have played an important role in both my life and career. If it wasn’t for them, I would not be where I am today.

As a child, beauty pageants, cheerleading or gymnastics never appealed to me. This was mostly due to the fact that I couldn’t do a cartwheel to save my life. Instead, I was introduced to sports by my father. No matter what I was involved in, my dad was always there to coach my soccer games, help me with my golf swing or attend my track meets. My love for sports continued to grow as I moved down south to Athens to attend college at the University of Georgia. It was here that I began to discover college football, and more importantly the Georgia Bulldogs (if you see my office, you will know they win my heart).

Aside from sports, my mother introduced me to entrepreneurship and volunteerism. She has owned several successful businesses and always volunteers in the community.

I am very excited to bring my passion for sports and business development to Rally. Coming from a background in marketing and medical meeting planning, I am very excited to bring that knowledge with me as I help Rally grow. I look forward to working with colleagues, volunteers, leaders, families and children to continue to develop Rally and raise funds to cure childhood cancer.

In my free time, I serve on the Board of Directors for the UGA Alumni Association and volunteer as an Event Coordinator. I also volunteer with Junior Achievement and am affiliated with Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Buckhead Business Association, and the Business Marketing Association – Atlanta. Thank you to everyone who has already made me feel so welcome. I am excited to meet and work with each and every one of you in the near future. Rally On!

Hello Rally community! I have been working with Rally for the past 3 months now and it is almost time for me to head back home to the land of books and bulldogs…UGA of course! While I am excited to head back for my last semester of school, I will miss the Rally family who has made me feel at home. I have learned so much and the experience I have gained here has been truly invaluable.

Over the past few months I have learned how to whip-up Active web pages for our Rally Athletes at lightning speed, how to manage a very busy schedule (because Rally IS always busy!), and most importantly, I have learned the importance of childhood cancer research. To the parents who have a child going through cancer treatment, research is everything. Thankfully, no child in my family has ever had cancer, but my dad suffered from lung cancer last summer and my older brother passed away at Christmas in 2008 from pancreatic cancer. So while my life has never been affected by childhood cancer, I have seen the devastating effects cancer can have on a family.

The people at Rally put their hearts and souls into raising awareness about the need for more childhood cancer research and their dedication is awe-inspiring. You will not find more devoted, sweet and hard-working people than Dean Crowe, Amber Johnson and Lauren Flanary. As I continue the process of figuring exactly where I want to go in my life, I will take the experience I have gained at Rally with me. Thank you to each and every one of you who have made my time here so special. Rally on!

Sincerely,

Intern Rosanna

My name is Larry Deist and I began working with the Rally Foundation in August of 2008 when I was asked to coordinate a charity fundraising effort where I work. I was put in touch with Dean Crowe through a mutual friend and I met with her to see what the needs of Rally were and to see if we could help.

From the first moment she explained Rally’s mission, I was hooked. It was also a day when she on her way to visit Alexa Rorbach, (who I now credit as the angel who changed my life) in the hospital.

Her fight was so courageous it just touched my heart. Dean told me that if I wanted others to get involved, all I had to do was show the Rally video. I was skeptical until I viewed it and saw Alexa and her beautiful smile closing with “Fighting cancer was hard, but here I am still making the best of each day. Please help me and kids like me by joining the Rally for childhood cancer research.”

The rest, as they say, is history. I did indeed show that video and with the help of tons of volunteers we were able to raise a sizable amount of money for Rally in a few months.

Since that event, I have been involved in the last two Benefits Bashes and last year’s Celebrity Softball Game. I was even inspired by “Rally Kid” Catherine Rowan to become a Rally Athlete and successfully completed the Disney Marathon this past January.

I have met some of the most amazing volunteers and even more amazing children and their families who fight cancer every day. I am inspired by those who take the time to support Rally and certainly humbled every time I pick up the phone and speak with one of the staff or volunteers. Their spirit is infectious! I am thrilled to be a part of Rally through the Gentlemen’s Committee and the Board of Directors. I look forward to helping in any way I can in the future and hope that Alexa would be proud. She was truly an angel. Rally On!

Rally Kid, Mia and her Rally Brother, Noah have proudly worn their Rally gear all year long and I am amazed at their understanding of why Mia is a Rally kid. Mia and Noah tend to be a little shy, but are always thrilled when we talk about Rally. They were very excited to participate in the Rally Foundation Fantasy Baseball Tour in Seattle.

They both brought their baseballs to get autographed and as we walked to the field for batting practice, Mia repeated to me over and over “Mom, I’m just not ready yet, Mom, I‘m just not ready yet.” It was so cute; she was nervous! She of course enjoyed her time down on the field, smiled for the pictures and is quite proud of her autographed baseball. Thank you Rally Foundation for including both Mia and Noah!

Only fifteen months ago I learned my child had cancer, six months later I heard about Rally Foundation and as the past few months have gone by, we are so proud to be part the Rally NW Team.

Mia was diagnosed in 2009, with High Risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. As a parent I was completely shocked, did the words “PEDIATRIC CANCER” mean that Mia would die? At that point all I knew is that my baby, my 2 year old daughter needed immediate medical attention and what I didn’t know is that Mia’s treatment plan would include 3 years of IV Chemotherapy, Intrathecal Chemotherapy, Oral Chemotherapy, Steroids, etc……. all drugs necessary to poison and kill her Leukemia cells. I am very thankful to Seattle Children’s Hospital doctors and nurses, Mia has been brave, fought hard and has responded well to most of her treatment.

After walking the walk, knowing that many families will walk in our shoes or be faced with losing a child to cancer, our family supports the Rally Foundation in hopes of more awareness and funds for Oncology Research at Seattle Children’s Hospital. The knot in my stomach that came on March 13, 2009 will never go away now that I’ve heard the words “Pediatric Cancer”, but my hope is that treatment will continue to get better until one day there is a cure! We Rally for Mia; she’s my hero!

By Lani, Rally Kid Mia’s Mom

Donna Watkins, our Operations Coordinator, is a tireless worker for Rally. Often coming in before the rest of us, Donna brightens up everyone’s days with her wit and funny anecdotes. For all of the love and hard work she puts into Rally, we have decided to name her Volunteer of the Year! A true southern belle, Donna is sweet as can be and is an indispensible part of the Rally team. So thank you Donna for all of your hard work over the years, Rally would not be the organization it is today without you!

Here are some quotes about why we all love Donna so much:

Dean Crowe: My favorite Donna quote is when I ask her to do something that completely overwhelms me and she says, “Oh, that’s not a problem.” The best part—she means it!

My favorite non-work related quote is, “Hey Baby #1.”

Lauren Flanary: She always makes people feel comfortable and makes me laugh every day…sometimes not on purpose. I’m still working to teach her that a protein bar does not count for all five food groups.

Claire Olson: I love how no task is too big or too small for Donna. She always gives 110% into everything she does, even the small and simple jobs. And yet somehow she takes on huge jobs like they’re no big deal!

Robin Rohrbach: Donna just has it “all together.” She is very organized and is a great asset to Rally! I think I would probably describe her as the backbone of our organization!! She really helps all of us keep everything straight.

Veronica McGee: “I still don’t like Google Docs.”

Rosanna Cruz: Donna is my personal source of information. If I’m ever unsure about something, she’s there to answer my question or at least provide moral support. And no matter how crazy it gets, she always answers her phone with a “hey my love” and finishes it with a “I love you so much” for her children.

We love you Donna!

During the week of March 15th 175 children at the Catholic Church of St. Ann Preschool hopped like bunnies and earned money as a Lenten project by giving of ourselves to others. Parents and family members were asked to pledge money based on the number of hops their child could do in one minute. Older children hopped on one foot while younger children hopped on both. The amounts pledged ranged from a few cents to a few dollars per hop.

The teachers and staff took time during the week prior to the bunny hop to practice jumping and also hopped during their playground time for extra practice. The number of hops hopped ranged from 4 to over 100. Everyone had a great time as they hopped to help children who are sick like their friend and Rally Kid, Welles.

Thanks for checking out the Rally blog! I am Harrison’s Dad and the founder of the Tour De Harrison bike ride scheduled for June 20th! The event is a 10 mile family bike ride to raise money for pediatric cancer research.

This race means a lot to me so I encourage you to come out and ride, cheer or just celebrate Father’s Day with family and friends. Here is some more insight on why I started the Tour de Harrison ride and why it means so much to me.

Why a bike ride? My son Harrison learned to ride a 2 wheeler at age 4 which is early on the scale of development for a kid. He tackled the city sidewalks of Richmond’s Fan district learning to avoid giant sidewalk cracks, tree roots and craters. He even mastered riding ahead of me and stopping at corners as I walked the dog, read the paper, carried his little sister on my back. At 5, he received a much yearned for motocross style helmet which lead me to believe he was pretty much invincible.

His bike riding prowess coincided with Lance’s run of many Tour de France victories and we would rise every morning in July and read about the previous days’ race.

Harrison’s ability to balance on his bike, ride slow, ride fast, steer accurately, brake, and navigate was exceptionally developed for a little guy and would come in handy sooner than we thought…

For more information on Tour de Harrison or to register, CLICK HERE.