All-Star River

“Any donation is extremely helpful to people who are walking through pediatric cancer. It takes the pressure off for families who are constantly worried and losing sleep over how they are going to pay their bills and financially survive.” -Cecilia, All-Star River’s mother.

Imagine thinking the nightmare is over, only to have to relive it all over again.

For the family of River, that is exactly what happened when he became one of the tiny percentages of childhood cancer patients who relapse.

The news that River had relapsed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia came eight years to the day of his original cancer diagnosis on January 6, 2017, and five years after he had completed treatment.

River’s first diagnosis happened when he was only two years old.

“I was speechless when he was diagnosed,” Cecilia said. “Brent [River’s dad] had to leave the room. We were both devastated. The first question was, is he going to live? The second was how long is the treatment? It’s like your world just changes within seconds of hearing that.”

River treated hospital life as the new normal, according to Cecilia. He never complained. They watched the same movies and ordered pizza like they did at home. But for River’s older brother, it was tough. He felt frustrated with the lack of structure and being shuffled around.

Childhood cancer doesn’t consider the uprooting of family routines.

During this first diagnosis, his mom stopped working as a hair stylist to care for him and stay at the hospital as he underwent treatment. River’s dad, Brent, had just started his own business and worked extra hours to help make ends meet, attending as many of his son’s appointments as possible. 

“Our focus was on keeping a roof over our heads and food on the table,” Cecilia said. “It was stressful for Brent because we had just spent most of our savings on buying equipment for his business, and getting everything up and rolling, on the basis that we would recoup it in a year or two with what we were both making.

When River got sick, it quickly became obvious that that wasn’t going to happen. Financially, it was scary.”

Pinky Swear Foundation was there for River’s family in 2017 to provide an Orange Envelope with a gift card for gas or groceries, along with Letters of Encouragement. The family also received a car payment and mortgage payment during this time.

“We were extremely grateful. It was such a relief not to have to worry. Other organizations gave us teddy bears, games, and things like that. Friends do that too, and it’s sweet, but it’s very stressful to come home from the hospital to our whole living room full of stuff. I thought, I wish I could take all this and just have the money to pay our bills. What families need is financial support,” explained Cecilia.

River’s initial treatment plan was for three and a half years, but two and a half years in, the protocol changed, and the family was told he could stop treatment.

“We were excited, but also very nervous. When your kid is receiving chemo, you hate it, but at the same time, it’s a comfort knowing that it’s helping to fight the cancer,” Cecilia said.

After River’s treatment ended, Cecilia went back to work. She had to regrow her clientele which had dwindled. She took River to his therapy and follow-up appointments.

There were also unpaid medical bills. Being self-employed, the family had their own health insurance, and after River’s diagnosis, they had to fight to receive Social Security disability. 
Brent continued to work long hours to make up for lost time and income and slowly the family began to feel like they were in a better spot.

Then, in late 2024, River started crying at night and complained that his legs hurt. Over the course of a month, he still wasn’t doing well. He had lost 10 pounds. He wasn’t eating. He was vomiting, and he had low energy. After seven trips to his doctor and getting nowhere, Cecilia emailed River’s oncologist.

Blood work was ordered, and the oncologist called them with the devastating news: River had relapsed, and treatment would begin immediately.

“I remember I couldn’t stop shaking,” Cecilia said. “I was like, what does this mean?”

For now, it meant River was admitted to the hospital for three weeks. This time, Brent would be the main caregiver while Cecilia worked four longer days each week, taking time off for appointments and working in between.

They have another long road ahead as his current treatment plan runs through late 2026, but that could change since relapses are so rare.

Along the way, financial sacrifices have been made that affect everyone in River’s family.

They cut back on contributions to their children’s college funds. They have also reduced contributions to their retirement funds.

“Everything feels expensive, and there have been some challenging decisions to make ends meet,” Cecilia told us.

During this relapse, Pinky Swear Foundation was there to help again. The family’s mortgage payment was paid in July of 2025, a process Cecilia said was easy.

“I just went to fill out the application and two weeks later, I heard back that they had sent the check to our mortgage company, which was amazing,” she said. “I was just so grateful and honestly relieved. The pressure was taken off. I didn’t have to worry about it. Before that, I had been thinking, what do I have to do to make our mortgage payment this month? It took the stress off us tremendously.”

Cecilia said any donation, no matter how big or small, makes a difference.

“Any donation is extremely helpful to people who are walking through pediatric cancer, whether it’s paying their gas, groceries, or a bill, it takes the pressure off for families who are constantly worried and losing sleep over how they are going to pay their bills and financially survive through this hardship.”