My name is Alyse Lancaster. I’m a professor at the University of Miami. More importantly, I’m a mom. And I want to start doing my part to help put an end to childhood cancer. One piece of communication at a time. In honor of Isabella Joanne Santos, Ronan Sean Thompson, and the countless other children who have died of neuroblastoma, alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, DIPG, and other childhood cancers due to inadequate funding into research for a cure.
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Curtains Are for Windows. Not Childhood Cancer. 
You have a good idea here, Alyse, but you might want to do a little more research before using every story you see on the internet. The stories about Reilly and Noah were a complete hoax. No telling how many others are as well. Many people have been hurt by the use of personal photos used by this person. This is not a good way to fight or share information about cancer … the most horrid thing a parent can come up against.
If what you’re stating is true, and I have no reason to believe it isn’t, then I apologize for giving the person who lied about this the attention she obviously craves. I’m hoping you know this was never my intention.
However, Reilly represents one blog post out of many I’ve written in an attempt to highlight the need to raise awareness and funding for childhood cancer research. To insinuate that I haven’t done my research is quite insulting. I read hundreds of kids’ stories every day and I donate whatever money I can afford to childhood cancer research. I have no control over sick people who exploit children for attention, and I certainly don’t want to contribute to that kind of sickness; however, if my story about Reilly’s “death” made someone contribute to a legitimate organization raising funds for childhood cancer research who would not otherwise have done so, then I can’t say that outcome would upset me.
What I can control is trying to shed light on the REAL problem here, which is the complete lack of funding for cures for childhood cancer. That is what this blog is about. Trust me, Isabella Santos is no scam. Salvatore Vanni is no scam. Ronan Thompson is no scam. Bella Rodriguez-Torres is no scam. Lane Goodwin is no scam. Ty Campbell is no scam. I’m willing to bet that 99% of the stories I write are true: horror stories of children and families fighting the awful beast that is childhood cancer. I’ve met moms who have watched their kids die. It’s no joke and it’s no scam.
Again, if Reilly or Noah’s parents made something up and I exacerbated the situation by writing about them in good faith, then for that, I apologize. But I will not apologize for using my good faith to spread awareness about childhood cancer. But you are right…in the future, if I don’t know the family or the story well, I will double-check before writing about it. And if you can show me proof that the Reilly and Noah stories are scams, then I will delete their names from this blog immediately.