LITH motorcycle run, fest to benefit 8-year-old-girl with cancer
Rylie Mogan is in for a long fight and she needs your help.
The 8-year-old Hebron girl, daughter of veteran Lake in the Hills police Sgt. Mark Mogan, has contracted a rare, but aggressive form of cancer.
Two days after she turned 8, doctors diagnosed her with desmoplastic small round cell tumor cancer, which attacks the soft tissue between her organs and the muscle wall of her abdomen.
To help the family pay off its massive medical bills, the police department's benevolent association is putting together "Ryliepalooza" on Sunday, which involves a charity motorcycle run and a festival.
"They've always been good at reaching out to help out and I think it's great that they're doing it," said Mark Mogan, who has been on the force for 16 years. "The only thing we've asked for is prayers, and to see people doing something like this is very touching."
The run starts at 11 a.m. and leaves from Woodstock Harley-Davidson, 2050 S. Eastwood Drive. Registration is from 9 to 11 a.m.
The three-hour ride ends at Barbara Key Park at 9341 Pyott Road, in Lake in the Hills, where the free festival begins. It will feature raffles, music - including tunes from Rylie favorites Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus - refreshments and a guest from the show, "Paranormal Cops."
"The entire village has come together to make this a great event and show Rylie our support," Deputy Police Chief Mary Frake said.
Lake in the Hills American Legion Post 1231 is providing the food and drinks. John White, the organization's finance officer, is Rylie's grandfather.
Rylie began her third round of chemotherapy Thursday at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.
It is expected to last three days and will be very intense - she already lost 20 pounds from the last two rounds, but managed to put six pounds back on, which means she now weighs 47 pounds, said her mother Lindsay Mogan.
"We couldn't keep anything in her - it just took everything she had," Lindsay Mogan said.
Rylie and her family hope to attend the motorcycle run and the festival - her parents report that she's in good spirits.
If you can't make it to either event, but would still like to help, you can send a check to: Lake in the Hills Police Benevolent Association, c/o Lake in the Hills Police Department, 1115 Crystal Lake Road, Lake in the Hills, IL 60156.
Make the check out to the Lake in the Hills Police Benevolent Association and write "Rylie's Hope" in the memo line.
For details, join the Rylie's Hope page on Facebook or call the police department at (847) 658-5676.