The Cannonball Challenge
Rylee's motto was simple: life is short, cannonball! Every Thanksgiving our community takes the plunge, literally, to celebrate her fearless spirit and bring hope to families facing childhood cancer.
A cannonball for Rylee
In June of 2023, we lost our beautiful Rylee. Five months later, Thanksgiving arrived, and it felt unbearably empty. Then Mike looked at Reese and me and said, "You know what? Rylee loved to cannonball. In her honor today, I am going to do a cannonball."
It was freezing outside, but we were all in. Mike ran, jumped, and did the biggest cannonball he could. We recorded it and sent the video in a group text to about 20 of our closest family and friends. We were not asking anyone to do the same. We were simply sharing our pain through something Rylee loved so much.
Then our phones started going off. Video after video came pouring in. One by one, family and friends were cannonballing into pools, hot tubs, and lakes, wherever they could. Some yelled "This one is for you, Rylee!" Others shouted "We miss you, Rylee!" And some simply screamed "CANNONBALL!" We never asked anyone to do it. They just did.
In those unexpected moments, our hearts felt a little less broken. We laughed, we cried, and a beautiful tradition was born.
Take the plunge with us
Each Thanksgiving we cannonball in Rylee's honor, and we would love for you to join us. Wherever you are, the lake, the pool, the ocean, or even your own backyard, make a big splash for Rylee. When you jump, yell "This one is for Rylee!"
Every video is saved and becomes part of our annual Thanksgiving Cannonball video, a beautiful reminder that even after loss, joy, laughter, and love keep rippling through the world.
Send us your cannonball
You do not have to wait for Thanksgiving. Take the plunge any time and send us your video, and we will save it for our next Thanksgiving Cannonball video.
Cannonballs from our community
Splashes, laughter, and love coming together in Rylee's honor.