Hi, my name is Riley, and I am a pediatric cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma in July of 2020 during the height of the global pandemic at 12 years old. With extreme gratitude to Boss Because, I was able to turn my journey into purpose by starting my own nonprofit at age 15.
My mission is simple but powerful:
Christmas is my favorite time of year, the lights, decorations, and atmosphere have always brought me so much joy. But during treatment, I spent the days leading up to Christmas in the hospital with a neutropenic fever. I was crushed. I missed my home, my tree, and everything festive.
That’s when my dad, Brock, stepped in and transformed my hospital room with holiday lights. That small act of love changed everything. It lifted my spirits and reminded me that even in the darkest moments, joy can shine through.
The next year, I asked my parents if we could bring holiday lights to other kids in the hospital and they said yes. That’s when “A Little Piece of Home Lighting the Way” was born.
Before launching my nonprofit, I personally delivered over 100 holiday decorating bags to the Hospital and Pediatric Clinic in both 2021 and 2022. Now, through our nonprofit, we continue to grow, delivering 100+ bags each holiday season and expanding our reach with Smile Packs, Hospital Starter Packs, and Christmas in July gifts.
There’s no better feeling than seeing a child smile because of something you did. That’s what keeps me going.
Spreading holiday cheer one room at a time with:
"A Little Piece of Home Lighting The Way!."
My mission is to ignite the magic of the holiday season for pediatric cancer patients and their families. I believe that every child deserves a beacon of hope and happiness, especially during their darkest days. With love, kindness and a dash of festive cheer, we deliver holiday room decorating bags during the holiday season that transform dreary hospital rooms into winter wonderlands that feel more like home.
But the magic doesn’t stop there. We deliver joy all year long with:
With love, kindness, and a sprinkle of holiday magic, we aim to restore a sense of normalcy and remind these brave young warriors that joy is always within reach.
Join us in lighting the way by sharing our mission, following us on social media, visiting our website, or donating below.
July of 2020 Riley Greene, a healthy and outgoing 12-year-old, gearing up to start soccer practices, began to have abdominal pain. We were in the height of COVID and upon initially calling the pediatrician they suggested it was just a stomach virus and to let it run its course, trying to avoid in person visits. Over the next few weeks, the pain came and went, and on a Tuesday Riley vomited. We chalked it up to being bad Cantaloupe he ate that no one else in the house did. By that Friday he was in extreme pain and begged me to call the doctor, which I did. They allowed us to come in for an in-person exam. We went in for the exam and sure enough the Pediatrician thought it was appendicitis. We were instructed to go to the ER at Oishei Childrens Hospital. We arrived at the ER, and I explained Riley’s symptoms. They took him back for an ultrasound. The doctor came back with the results and oddly he explained that they couldn’t find Riley’s appendix on the ultrasound and were going to send him for a CT. The CT revealed that he had a large tumor near his small intestine and that mesenteric and neck lymph nodes were involved. The ER doctor suspected Burkitt’s or Burkitt’s like Lymphoma based on presentation. I begged him to let my husband come to the hospital to hear the news directly from him and because COVID policies didn’t allow two people to be there, he made an exception because of the situation and our lives were forever changed.
Because of Burkitt’s Lymphoma’s fast doubling time, 24 hours, Riley was rushed to surgery to remove the large tumor and to have Medi-port placed to immediately receive Chemo. The diagnosis was confirmed, and it was Stage 3 Burkitt’s Lymphoma. His first round of Chemo was a four weeklong hospital stay. The remaining 3 rounds were a week stay in the hospital and week or two weeks at home depending on blood counts. At home the visiting nurse would come 3 times a week to check on him and perform blood draws. There was trouble with his Medi-port during these rounds and Riley would undergo a corrective surgery and have a new Med- port placed. He would also have several Intrathecal surgeries where chemo was delivered to his spinal fluid. He underwent several CT and PET scans to check progress. The final CT scan showed that there was a residual mass in his abdomen. There was debate about biopsy or to just leave it and wait and see. Riley’s Oncologist took it to the Tumor Board where his case would be discussed among the top professionals. It was decided a second abdominal surgery would take place to biopsy the mass.
This time Riley’s recovery was longer. He had trouble breathing and was on oxygen for over a day. We waited for the pathology results for 3 long days as our baby recovered on the surgical floor. The results determined that the nucleus was still intact in a few cells upon pathology, which meant cancer still had the potential to come back and grow. The doctors suggested four more rounds of intense Chemo. Riley was in and out of the hospital for Chemo, Immunotherapy, intrathecal surgeries, fevers, and blood and platelet transfusions. Four more long months of treatment. His final Pet scan and CT revealed there was still a residual mass. We were devastated that he wasn’t NED (no evidence of disease). His doctor suggested that we wait and see since Riley’s body could not handle another abdominal surgery at the time. More chemo could not be given because he would start to become resistant, and they wanted to save that if cancer did come back. His Oncologist thought the mass could potentially be scar tissue since his PET scan showed the mass to be inactive. He finally recovered and time went on. After 8 long months, many isolating days in the hospital due to COVID protocols, 8 rounds of Chemo, 2 major abdominal surgeries, Medi-port correction surgery and Countless CT’s, PET scans, transfusions, Intrathecal surgeries, pokes, prods, and other procedures, he rang the Victory Bell at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Institute on March 25th, 2021, and has been in remission ever since. We thank the universe that he is here with us, and we continue to be thankful he is in remission. We believe he is here to do great things and pay all the love he receives during his journey forward. If you would like to know more about Riley’s journey, please join the group Riley’s Warriors on Facebook.
Visit our donation pages below
RileysWarriors@gmail.com
