Sally Reilly developed new ways to support the Breathing Room at her high school!

At the Breathing Room, we hear from many recipients that they are so appreciative of what we do, they will be sure to give back when they are better. And so many of them do – they become program donors, support our Back to School or holiday drives, or come out for the Valley Road Run. It is always so wonderful to see them – to know that they are doing well, or to see their family walking in remembrance of them, and to know that in however small a way, the Breathing Room was able to help.

For one recipient, she was determined to take that even further. “My family and I grew close to the Breathing Room as they began to support us (mom, dad, and six kids) when my Mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2017,” Sally Reilly shared. “The Breathing Room helped my family so much by lessening the stress my Mom felt while battling cancer and having to take care of her family.”

Sally’s experience with the Breathing Room inspired her to create a Breast Cancer Awareness Club at her high school, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, and to lead others in supporting the Breathing Room. As a rising sophomore, she gathered friends to meet with the dean of students and teachers to plan and implement a Breast Cancer Awareness Club. “It was very important to me to begin this at my school because I knew that we could do a lot for those women struggling with Breast Cancer and could be a great way to spread awareness.”

2023-2024 was the first year of the Breast Cancer Awareness Club at the Mount, and they did two projects in support of the Breathing Room. They held a Christmas drive and sponsored a family for BRF’s Holiday Program, going all out to meet the likes and requests for clothes, toys, and books. The spring project centered on creating Care Packages, and featured beautiful packages full of snacks, cleaning supplies, and sweet details.

“I knew I wanted to create care packages because I always remember the Breathing Room dropping things off at my house and my siblings and I would be so excited.” Sally said. “The Breathing Room memories I have of my mom’s cancer battle are all so positive, even though it was such a tough time for my family. One vivid memory in my head was from the Valley Road Run in 2018. All of our family and friends came out to race (the whole LaSalle cross country team as my brothers were huge runners!) and my mom had the biggest team there. I love that memory because it felt great to see how many people were there to support my mom, and I wanted to give other families that feeling of support that we had.”

Sally’s mom passed away in 2018, when Sally was just 11 years old. Taking her experience with the Breathing Room and giving the same support to others allows her to honor her mom’s memory and provide the same feeling of hope to other families now.

“I would just like to thank everyone at the Breathing Room for all their help and support over the years as my mom fought cancer,” Sally stated. “They are so supportive in my efforts to support women battling Breast Cancer and helping out in any way possible. I will always be grateful for all the Breathing Room did for my family.”

As Sally continues her Breast Cancer Awareness Club at the Mount next year as a junior, we are so grateful for all she has done and will continue to do for Breathing Room families. We always say that the Breathing Room is different for everyone – it’s an individualized, personal experience that allows us to help each recipient where they need it the most. For Sally and her family during her mom’s cancer battle, that meant care packages and community – and now, Sally is paying it forward with her new community, offering comfort to families fighting cancer today.