About Reese & RISE
This is Reese Joseph Imhoff. He is our heart, weaved into our soul, and our greatest teacher. We are honored that you are here visiting Reese’s foundation, RISE. Our hope is that you learn more about the amazing young man Reese is, be inspired for your own life, and learn how you can be a part of fulfilling his purpose.
We named the foundation RISE, which is the acronym for The Reese Imhoff Strength and Encouragement Foundation. The purpose of the foundation is to raise monies to fund promising research to cure osteosarcoma, a rare pediatric bone cancer. But the message and inspiration behind the foundation is for everyone. Reese’s message transcends any illness. His message is for the masses. His message is for the young and old. His message is to continue to LIVE when facing adversity. Choose to LOVE no matter the personal pain. And continue to never give up no matter the diagnosis, or situation. His message and encouragement is here for the taking for anyone who is brave enough to take on this challenge. He taught us how to choose FAITH over FEAR everyday. And most importantly he taught us how to RISE up and help those around us no matter the circumstances, pain, and heart break.
We hope in your life you choose to RISE up, be inspired to LIVE like Reese and join us in curing the disease of osteosarcoma. We would love to share more about our son and his journey.
About Osteosarcoma
What is Osteosarcoma?
Osteosarcoma is a type of bone cancer that originates in cells of the bone. It can occur anywhere along the skeleton, but the most common sites are in longer bones, for instance around the knee and shoulder.
How Rare is Osteosarcoma?
Osteosarcoma is quite rare. It is estimated that approximately 500 kids are diagnosed in the United States each year. Osteosarcoma most commonly occurs in children, teenagers and young adults between the ages of 10 and 30. It is slightly more common in boys and young men.
How is Osteosarcoma Diagnosed?
The diagnosis of osteosarcoma can only be definitively made with a biopsy of the affected area. Thanks to advanced imaging technology, doctors can see, with precision, where the
abnormality is located in the body and help guide the biopsy. Once a biopsy confirms the diagnosis of osteosarcoma, a variety of other tests may be ordered to further determine the extent of the tumor (x-ray, CT scan, bloodwork, etc.
How to Treat Osteosarcoma?
Current therapy for osteosarcoma includes the combination of a standard chemotherapy treatment and surgery. Most commonly, chemotherapy is given for several months before surgery and is continued after the patient has recovered from their surgery. The type of surgery performed can vary, but usually includes limb-preservation surgery or amputation. Following recovery from surgery, patients begin physical rehabilitation as part of their recovery process.
What is the prognosis?
The outlook depends on many factors, including the location and size of the tumor, whether the cancer has spread and the person’s age and overall health. According to the American Cancer Society, the survival rate of osteosarcoma patients is 59%.
Need to do more?
There have been no improvements in survival of osteosarcoma patients for more than 45 years. Osteosarcoma is a complex disease and more research is desperately needed. Areas of research to be funded by RISE will include gene therapy, targeted drug therapy and immunotherapy.
The RISE Team
Meet the RISE team: These dedicated individuals champion the fight against bone cancer by raising awareness, connecting communities, and supporting crucial research to cure Osteosarcoma.
