WHO WE ARE
Inspired by a life-changing event, Rory's Stupid Cancer Foundation was established in 2000 in Aurora, CO. Rory was born on November 5th, 1996 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado. Now he had the typical life of any newborn. He ate, crapped, cried, and annoyed his older brothers. There was always something about him though that made everyone smile and forget their problems. He attended daycare with Auston at Children’s Learning Club and Ms. Monette Roberts took great care of them both. When Rory was 11 months old he started to develop a growth on his right shoulder blade that was thought at first to just be a cyst. It did not appear to be cancerous at first, so the doctors felt there was no reason to worry.
When Rory was 14 months old, they ran tests because it was growing and starting to display the characteristics of a tumor. When the test results came back we found out that he had Pleomorphic Rhabdomyosarcoma. This was a nuclear bomb that detonated around the family and the news was hard to swallow. For the next year, we watched this little bundle of happiness be poked, prodded, and filled with chemicals. The entire time Rory never forgot how to smile and he honestly was never aware of what was going on. He just thought he was sick and would one day be okay. During the treatments, he still attended daycare whenever he could and his parents always stayed with him at the hospital. Rory was in remission for two months in early 1999, but then during early summer, they found more tumors in his lungs. There was no hope for his survival.
Rory was granted a wish by the Make-A-Wish foundation and Mom, Dad, Auston, and Kevin were able to go to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. It was an amazing seven days and the entire family had a wonderful trip. When we got back from Orlando on August 7th, things turned for the worst. Rory passed away two days later on August 9th, 1999 while at home laying on his mother’s chest. While this a horrible loss and something the family is still dealing with today, there are many great memories that we can take away from the life of Rory Dean Ivey and the legacy that he left here on earth.
WHAT WE DO
Rory's Stupid Cancer is a local non-profit that supports Children's Hospital in its efforts to find a cure for pediatric cancer. We raise money for The Children's Hospital which took care of our Rory during his illness and Make A Wish Foundation which sent Rory to Disney World a few days before he died. We want to help the research of childhood cancer and also make wishes come true for ill children.
