#GoldStrong

John and I were invited by one of his suppliers to attend the Delta Double Play Benefit Bash held at the Georgia Aquarium last Friday night. We got all dressed up—which was super fun!—and joined 700+ people at this childhood cancer fundraiser hosted by the Rally Foundation.

The Georgia Aquarium was an amazing venue to host the benefit…I love that place! I’m seriously going to go and spend one day just sitting by the huge tanks watching the fish. All day long. #soundsheavenly

The food was delicious, but the auction and program were inspiring and emotionally draining at the same time. Gratefully, none of our kids every had to go through cancer, and I pray every day that none of our grandkids will have to experience this horrific disease either.

I was a little familiar with childhood cancer, but when I started hearing and seeing the stats surrounding childhood cancer, I was shocked. Take a look…

One thing I’d never thought about before, but which makes total sense, is that childhood and adult cancers are different and have to be treated differently. So the fact that only 4% of the NIH cancer research budget goes to childhood cancer research is pretty appalling. The main goal of the Rally Foundation is to fund research for cures for childhood cancer to hopefully combat that only 4% funding stat.

One of the speakers was a teenage girl who had battled cancer not once, but twice in the past few years. The second time she went through a clinical trial—funded by Rally Foundation donations—that literally saved her life. To say she was inspirational is an understatement. As was the 5 year old little girl who spoke about her experiences with the brain cancer she’s currently battling.

The Rally Foundation began when one of its founders, whose friend’s child was suffering from cancer, asked a simple question: “What can I do to help?” And no matter who you are, where you live, or how much money you make or don’t make, that simple question is one we can all ask, and then we can do what we can to help.

And we can all do something.

And that something—even the smallest of somethings—CAN make a difference in someone’s life.

I was so impressed by the Rally Foundation and their mission to save kids, so if you’re looking for a way to contribute—whether it’s time or money or both—check them out!

Let’s be #GoldStrong together and help to cure childhood cancer!

Rally on!

**Graphics courtesy of the Rally Foundation website.