Rally for Reid Foundation is a proud partner of the Children’s Brain Tumor Network. The Children’s Brain Tumor Network drives innovative discoveries, pioneers new treatments and accelerates open science to improve the health of every child and young adult diagnosed with a brain tumor.
For our second consecutive year, Rally for Reid has donated $25,000 to the Children’s Brain Tumor Network, (CBTN) This organization is quickly driving research and clinical trials forward to give more treatment options, more time, and ultimately, more cures. We have also donated Reid’s Medulloblastoma tumor tissue to the CBTN in hopes that it can help save other children.

You can find out more about the Children’s Brain Tumor Network at their website: https://cbtn.org/.

We are proud to partner with Above + Beyond Cancer to provide Iowa families with complimentary hotel rooms for pediatric cancer patients who must travel at least 50 miles for cancer related medical treatment.

To request a hotel room, families will need to fill out an application.  Families can apply for a hotel reservation here: https://aboveandbeyondcancer.org/hotel-request-form
Learn more about the Above + Beyond Cancer’s hotel program here: https://aboveandbeyondcancer.org/hotel-program

What a night! We had a blast at our second annual Rally for Reid Dueling Pianos! Even more, we raised almost $38,000 to support our missions!!! What does this mean? We can provide more family care packages, more financial assistance, and increase our funding to pediatric brain tumor research. Just incredible! We could not have done this without the generosity of our sponsors, auction donors, and all of our supporters and fun-havers at our event! Thank you so much!

• Age:  3
• Diagnosis:  Neuroblastoma
• Loves:  Gabbys Dollhouse, Peppa Pig, pink and purple, kinetic sand, and dinosaurs
• Claire’s story:  Claire was diagnosed in June of 2022 with Neuroblastoma.   She is from west Tennessee and began treatment in Nashville at Vanderbilt. After an unsuccessful first 4 cycles of chemo, her family decided to transfer her care to Cincinnati for more specialized care. She is currently undergoing a very rigorous chemo and immunotherapy with an upcoming surgery, stem cell transplant, radiation, and ending with immunotherapy. The treatment will take a minumum of twelve months.   Claire’s family recently received a care package from the Rally for Reid Foundation and her family wrote to us saying “We got home from the hospital and were met with a package full of goodies from you!  The sand game is SUCH a hit and we have been playing it all afternoon.  Claire says a heartfelt thank you!”

The Rally for Reid team sends a heartfelt thank you to all of our supporters for supporting us in sending love to Claire and her family!

Remembering Reid

Our sweet Reid spent so much time in this library, especially following his relapse. We’d grab a chocolate milk coffee and we’d spend his mornings doing puzzles and reading the same books over and over again. A great way to keep him busy when he was missing so much school, and a welcome distraction from his IV pole full of chemo that ran for 4-5 hours each day we’d spend at the outpatient clinic.

A letter of gratitude, a follow-up meeting, as well as a lot of planning and details went into creating this space in Reid’s name. We are grateful to the design team at Stead Family for perfecting this space, to Edwards Creative for the install, as well as to Janice Ellig, for her support of Reid, her support of the hospital, and for her contribution to the library to make this space happen and provide updates to technology so that all kids could enjoy the library services during their time at the hospital. Not only is this design a beautiful update, it has also created access during a very difficult time! Children can now easily participate in storytime from their rooms when they are in isolation, and authors and readers can zoom in from around the world to read stories to children when they can’t come to the hospital library in person.

The team let us be involved in the design process, and for that we are so thankful. Reid’s initials and garbage truck logo are thoughtfully carved into the tree, garbage truck books fill the shelves, and even sweet Mary, who slept in Reid’s bed when he was at the hospital, and was always at Reid’s feet at the end of his life, got to be included with a special yellow collar. If you’ve been to Stead, you will notice that many of the other design aspects mimic the aesthetics of the hospital. The quote, “Reading gives you a place to go when you have to stay where you are,” is one that describes Reid’s life so well. He was always packing his favorite books for his stays, and always found fun no matter where he was. We are just overwhelmed by how perfect this spot is! That light up REID sign can stay lit at night, and even the animals can be switched in and out of the treehouse depending upon the library theme.

Our hope for the space is that kids can find some excitement and normalcy in visiting the library in the midst of their scary day(s) at the hospital.  It’s hard to express the gratitude we feel to this hospital and the people in it. We miss them. It was Reid’s second home. It was all of our second home. Reid brought smiles to so many people with his cute little bald head as he explored every inch of that hospital. We are so grateful to have this space in his honor, and for other children to come and experience its magic.

We miss you, Reid!

Sending love,
Megan & The Rally for Reid Team