‘Rally for Rhyan’ surpasses $1 million in the fight against pediatric cancer
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Mizzou Tigers may not have walked away with a victory on the court Saturday night but inside the Mizzou Arena, an even greater triumph was celebrated.
For the past decade, the Mizzou basketball community has rallied behind one cause fighting pediatric cancer in honor of Rhyan Loos, the daughter of senior associate athletic director Brad Loos. This year, 'Rally for Rhyan' reached a milestone surpassing $1 million in total funds raised.
“We've passed the $1 million mark to fight this pediatric cancer,” said Brad Loos during a halftime announcement.
The Rally for Rhyan tradition began in 2015, just months after Rhyan was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma.
The Mizzou community quickly embraced the Loos family’s fight, launching an annual fundraising campaign that has now raised over a million dollars to support pediatric cancer research and treatment.
“It was hard,” Loos said. “You never want to see your kids struggle, right? Especially when you can't do anything to help but she was really tough. Her mom was incredible. She was there with her every second of the way, and so watching the two of them fight through this was just really inspirational for me.”
Despite the challenges, the Loos family found strength in their faith, something Brad believes is essential for families facing similar battles.
“I think families that go through this, you just got to take it one day at a time and you really got to lean on your faith,” he said. “We're a very faith-based family and you know, that really got us through dark times.”
Heading into the game, Rally for Rhyan had already raised $160,000 through a series of fundraising events held throughout the week. The goal was to reach $200,000—but by the end of the night, that number had grown to $205,000 and counting.
During warmups, every Mizzou basketba;; player wore a ‘Rally for Rhyan’ T-shirt, each one representing a child affected by pediatric cancer whether they are still fighting, have survived, or have tragically lost their battle.
'Rally for Rhyan' is dedicated to fighting pediatric cancer, but the harsh reality is that the disease has no age limit.
Last year, Mizzou Assistant Coach David Nutt faced his own battle with cancer, a fight all too familiar to the Rally for Rhyan community. Like Rhyan, he took on the challenge with resilience and came out on the other side, a survivor.
“When he announced his diagnosis, it was devastating,” said former Mizzou basketball player Laurence Bowers. “But nonetheless, he's a true warrior, just like Rhyan. So not only are we celebrating the success of Rhyan, we’re celebrating the success of Robert and Coach Nutt—two people who mean so much to Mizzou Nation.”
While the night was celebrated, it was also a reminder that this fight is far from over.
Every dollar raised will go directly to the Pediatric Oncology Clinic at MU Children’s Hospital, funding research and treatment that could change lives.
"We're really excited about partnering with them and the new Children's Hospital is amazing and we're really excited to see where it goes in the future an what it can do for kids in the Mid- Missouri area," Loos said.
