Rutledge Cancer Foundation (RCF) is the first organization in Texas solely focused on adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients.
We’re focused on providing programs and resources that meet their needs today while funding research opportunities and clinical trials to build a brighter, healthier tomorrow.
Due to their age range (13-39) and the transitional and fast-paced season of life they may currently be in, the cancer journey for AYA patients can often feel more complex and challenging compared to the experiences of younger or older cancer patients.
While the medical community is focused on treating their cancer, there aren’t many resources to address the other difficulties they may be facing. This can cause feelings of isolation, depression and other mental health challenges because of the difficulty in relating to younger and older cancer patients.
Oftentimes, they’re also navigating major life decisions—college, careers, marriage, having a family, —and when cancer is added to the mix, everything becomes that much harder.
Depending on their diagnosis and treatment plan, their life may not only be interrupted but can come to a complete halt while their friends keep moving forward toward adulthood.
Many treatment options haven’t changed in more than 40 years, there are fewer clinical trials and AYAs face a higher rate of being uninsured.
Whether they’re being treated in a pediatric or an adult facility, they may feel isolated and alone.
Even if they’re declared cancer free or in remission, there are short term and long term side effects from treatment that can make it difficult to live a “normal” life.
For example, chemotherapy and radiation can cause infertility, neurological challenges and heart complications as well as have an impact on their mental health.
Childhood cancer is often viewed as rare, yet, according to the National Cancer Institute, it’s the leading cause of death by disease for children and young adults under 20 in the United States.
Despite this, the National Cancer Institute allocates only four percent of its research funding to pediatric and young adult cancer, leading to limited resources for research and fewer clinical trials. As a result, treatment options and survival rates for young patients remain significantly behind those for other age groups. The prevalence of cancer in young adults is also on the rise creating the need for more research as to why that’s happening.
From the beginning of 15-year-old Carley’s battle with Ewing sarcoma, she had a passion and determination to help find or develop resources and programs to address the challenges she was personally experiencing.
She developed the idea for Carley’s Closet which provides newly diagnosed AYA cancer patients with a bag filled with items to make a patient’s stay in the hospital more comfortable and feel more like home.
Even though Carley lost her battle with cancer at the young age of 27, her legacy lives on through everything we do at Rutledge Cancer Foundation.
It was also Carley’s testimony that helped pass the Family Preservation Act in Texas and Colorado in 2020, which requires insurance policies to cover fertility preservation.
Looking for a meaningful way to honor a loved one and celebrate their life? Creating a tribute fund offers a beautiful way for friends and family to keep their memory alive and make a lasting impact.
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.
