Only a few things make Nick Colley nervous. As an outgoing fourth-grader at the Queen of Angels Catholic School , cancer treatments and public speaking engagements are small potatoes compared to playing in a high-stakes baseball game.
Nick’s parents, Ben Colley and Melanie Colley, were stunned when their 10-year-old son was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia or ALL, a type of blood cancer on July 18, 2023.
Upon hearing the news, Nick’s community and East Side Baseball Association teammates rallied around the Colley family with cards, care packages, Uber Eats, and DoorDash orders, and fundraising efforts. Their assistance was needed as Nick immediately began chemotherapy treatments at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite.
Ben, a Walton High School alum, feels thankful to raise his family in the community that built him. Nick has two sisters – Sarah Kate, 8, and 6-year-old Annie. Together, the Colley family enjoys playing sports, cheering for the Atlanta Braves and taking Archie, their 2-year old Cavapoo, to the park.
Melanie says their family has turned hard suffering into fundraising fuel. Friends and family purchased cus tom-designed T-shirts and gold shoelaces to show sup port. Although Nick is grateful to be in remission, he still has a long way to go with treatments.
This year, Nick will make his modeling debut in the 14th Annual Rally on the Runway set for Friday, April 12. Benefiting Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research , this invitation-only fashion show is set to take place at the Georgia Aquarium . Atlanta Falcons players led by team captain and two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Grady Jarrett will walk a runway arm-in-arm with childhood cancer fighters and survivors while wearing the latest spring fashions from Dillard’s .
In addition to the fashion show, the event will feature a silent and live auction, and rally kids will share their sto ries with attendees. Rally Foundation founder and CEO, Dean Crowe , will interview Nick on stage about his child hood cancer journey and fundraising efforts.
“Nick understands the value of research,” explains Crowe. “He’s a fundraiser at heart and he is hilarious. He sets goals, he meets them and then he goes past them. He’s a super fun kid with a big personality.”
In 2005, Crowe and her husband, Reid Crowe, found ed Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research – a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises awareness and funds for childhood cancer research to help physicians and scientists find better treatments and cures.
To date, Rally has given $35 million in childhood cancer research grants and secured more than $211 million from the U.S. Department of Defense Medical Research Program for cancers in children, adolescents, and young adults.
If Nick’s story inspired you, support his fundraiser at rallyfoundation.org/nicks-cancer-journey or contact Rally Foundation’s volunteer coordinator Amy Samsury at Amy@rallyfoundation.org. Find out how you can con tribute to the Rally Foundation by visiting www.rallyfoundation.org and following Rally Foundation on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
