The Rutledge Cancer Foundation (RCF) was founded in 2011 after 15-year-old Carley Rutledge was diagnosed with Stage IV Ewing sarcoma, a rare cancer affecting children and young adults. After relapsing in 2012, Carley participated in a vaccine trial that kept her cancer in remission for eight years, but it returned in 2020, and she sadly passed away at 27 years old in 2021, igniting the mission even further.
Throughout her battle, Carley recognized the lack of overall awareness, resources, and programs available for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients. These patients were not only undergoing cancer treatment but also navigating various life stages and decisions such as moving teenager to adulthood, finishing their education, careers, and relationships. When she relapsed and was looking for alternatives to the chemotherapy and radiation that was debilitating and not curative, she, and her mother, Laura, were frustrated by the lack of research, treatment options and clinical trials available for Ewing sarcoma and other pediatric cancers.
While Carley is no longer with us, it’s her personal journey and passion that shaped RCF’s mission and continues to drive our work today.
Almost 90,000 AYAs are diagnosed with cancer each year, yet pediatric, adolescent and young child cancer research receives less than four percent of the National Institute of Health’s annual budget.
Due to a lack of research and clinical trials, treatment options and survival rates for AYAs have seen little progress in over 40 years.
Ease the impact of cancer and meet the unmet unique needs of AYAs living with cancer.
Raise survival rates by improving awareness and early detection among the medical community.
Find a cure by funding research and clinical trials focused on less toxic, more personalized therapies for sarcomas and other solid tumor cancers.
From grassroots efforts organized by Carley and her family and friends to working with world-renowned researchers and serving thousands of patients, RCF has made incredible strides and we can’t wait to see what the future holds as we continue to grow year after year.
We’re proud to say that since being founded in 2011, RCF has served more than 18,000 teens and young adults and invested more than $3,600,000 in age appropriate programs and cutting-edge research.
Creating a tribute fund in memory of a loved one lost too soon is a meaningful way to celebrate their life and preserve their legacy.
We fund patient programs that address unmet emotional and physical needs.
We work as a catalyst to increase awareness and early detection.
We support research for less toxic, personalized cancer therapies.
