SeaWorld Shamu & You Family Walk

Thank you for supporting Family Reach Foundation’s efforts at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego by participating in the 6th Annual SeaWorld Shamu & You Family Walk!

Special thanks to EMD Millipore and Celgene!

For more information, please contact Cassie Taylor: ctaylor@familyreach.org or 617-587-2590

The Story of Red Riley

At 2 years old, Red Riley was energetic, lively and enjoyed playing with his siblings and jumping into his father's arms to welcome him home each day. As summer turned to fall, Red Riley began to get sick very frequently and his "two-year-old excitement" began to diminish. With sickness worsening, a trip to the ER resulted in the shocking diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. The same week of diagnosis, Red Riley's parents had just closed on their first home purchase, using their life savings to provide a comfortable place to watch their children grow. During the first two-month inpatient stay, Red Riley's mother had to quit her job to stay by her young son's side, while her husband tried to juggle work, hospital visits, and caring for their other two children. He said, "I went back and forth between the hospital four and five times a day, trying to work in between."

This unstable new reality put Red Riley & his family into a difficult situation with reduced household income, rapidly increasing expenses, and fear for Red Riley's future. The newly purchased house was soon lost and the family was in search of a place to live, selling both their cars to try to make ends meet. Family Reach Foundation provided assistance for this family to pay the rent and secure a new, safe place to call home.

Five years after diagnosis, Red Riley finished cancer treatment and is beginning to enjoy life again, as any 8 year old boy should.