Care for the whole family
Pediatric cancer is never only physical. We help fund the emotional care that children, parents, and siblings need to carry what they are carrying.
When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the whole family is diagnosed with something too. The fear, the grief, the long uncertain days. They land on everyone. Yet mental health support is often the hardest kind of help for families to find and afford. That is exactly the gap we work to close, for the child, and for the people who love them.
Because cancer touches everyone in the house
We help fund emotional support for each person who carries the weight of a diagnosis.
The child
Help making sense of scary medical moments, and a safe way to feel big feelings during treatment.
The parents
Trauma-informed counseling for the exhaustion, fear, and grief that come with watching your child fight.
The siblings
The brothers and sisters who feel scared and overlooked are part of this too, and they deserve support.
Helping children understand and cope
Child Life Specialists are certified professionals trained to help children understand and emotionally cope with illness, hospitalization, and medical procedures. They explain what is happening in ways a child can understand, ease fear with therapeutic play, and give kids a sense of control on days when everything feels out of their hands.
We are proud to partner with Shani Thornton, a Child Life Specialist and the voice behind Child Life Mommy. Through her guidance, we help more children face treatment with a little less fear and a lot more understanding.
Healing a family is just as important as treating the child.So we care for both.
Support for the parents carrying it all
The Rylee Grace Foundation is honored to partner with Meghann Crane-Russ, LCSW, owner of Noticing Growth Therapy. Meghann provides compassionate, trauma-informed counseling to parents navigating the unimaginable journey of childhood cancer and grief.
We know from our own family that a parent's heart needs care too. Helping mothers and fathers find a steady, skilled place to process fear and loss is one of the quietest but most important things we do.
Making care possible
Therapy and Child Life support cost money most families do not have to spare, and in the middle of survival, few have the energy to go searching for it. So we help connect families with these trusted professionals and help cover the cost, because no family should have to choose between their child's treatment and their family's healing.
If your family is facing pediatric cancer, or you know one that is, please reach out. You were never meant to carry this alone.
Help a family heal, not just survive
Every gift toward mental health support helps another family find steadier ground, and a little more hope, in the hardest days of their lives.
Donate nowFrequently asked questions
What mental health support does the Rylee Grace Foundation provide?
We help fund Child Life services for children and trauma-informed therapy for parents and siblings, so the whole family has emotional support during and after treatment.
What is a Child Life Specialist?
A Child Life Specialist is a certified professional who helps children understand and cope with illness, hospitalization, and medical procedures through age-appropriate explanations, therapeutic play, and emotional support. We partner with Shani Thornton of Child Life Mommy.
Who provides therapy for parents?
We partner with Meghann Crane-Russ, LCSW, owner of Noticing Growth Therapy, who provides compassionate, trauma-informed counseling to parents navigating childhood cancer and grief.
How do I get mental health support for my family?
Reach out through our request form and tell us about your family. Support is based on eligibility and available funding, and anything you share stays private with our family.