Friday, November 7, 2025
Rockville Centre lit its Village Tree gold on Sept. 2, kicking off Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month and honoring the memory of Mary Ruchalski in front of the Village Hall.
Dozens of residents gathered for the annual ceremony hosted by the Mary Ruchalski Foundation, a local nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness and supporting research into pediatric cancer.
“We’ve been doing this for many years in the Village of Rockville Centre,” Mayor Francis X. Murray said, “and we hope and we pray, soon there will be a cure for multiple pediatric cancers in this world.”
Mary Ruchalski lost her life to rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of pediatric cancer, in 2018, just two days shy of her 13th birthday. Her mother, Carol Ruchalski, created the foundation in her honor, believing she had a duty to preserve Mary’s legacy.
Her daughter was an exceptional athlete, excelling in lacrosse, soccer and swimming. She was also an outstanding student at St. Agnes Cathedral School, and took part in Math Olympiad competition. Despite her challenges, she was a bright-spirited girl who never let her diagnosis get her down.
The Rev. Michael Duffy, of St. Agnes Cathedral, offered a prayer for Mary, who was a seventh grader at the school when she died. “Dear friends, our Jewish brothers and sisters, when somebody passes away, often they will say, ‘May their memory be for a blessing,’” Duffy said, “and I think that Mary’s memory has truly been a blessing for all of us.”
Carol Ruchalski spoke about the challenges facing pediatric cancer care. She noted that roughly one in five children will not survive their diagnosis, and that only six drugs have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration specifically for pediatric cancer in the past 40 years.
“Most pediatric cancer patients are treated with drugs developed in the 1950s through the 1980s, and are not tailored for children’s unique biology,” Ruchalski said.
She also offered an update on the foundation’s fundraising achievements: It has contributed almost $1 million to research grants, donated $200,000 to families affected by pediatric cancer, and is a proud sponsor of the Ronald McDonald House in New York City, sponsoring quarterly meals in Mary’s honor.
“And our proudest achievement is for our oldest daughter, Ashley, who has been appointed to the board of directors of the Children’s Cancer Therapy Development Institute under Charles Keller,” Ruchalski said, referring to the Scientific and Executive Director. “Ashley will have a direct effect on the furthering research for Mary’s cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma. Now, if that is not a sign from Mary, I don’t know what is.”
She also expressed her appreciation for the community’s continued support by participating in Play 4 Mary, where all little league softball games in Rockville Centre compete in her honor. She shared gratitude for the purchases of golden bows to display around the village as well. “All of this is made possible by all of you who continually come out and support us. Thank you for helping me and my foundation raise awareness. Thank you for the lemonade stands, the play for Mary’s, the lighting the way and displaying your bows,” she said.
“I know my Mary,” Ruchalski added, “and every single young warrior who is with her is saying, ‘Keep at it, be our voices, keep doing it and be the change.’”
The ceremony closed with the lighting of the Village Tree in shimmering gold, which will cast a glow throughout September as a symbol of remembrance and hope.
Many at the gathering had personal connections to the cause. Murray recalled how he lost his niece, Kimiko “Kimi” Schroder, to pediatric cancer. After an eight-year fight against a neuroblastoma, she died in 2019, at age 12. Kimi lived in San Diego, but stayed with Murray during her treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan.
“We represent all those in Rockville Centre who are sick, who are passed away, and we really are trying to raise money with Carol to stop these terrible diseases of pediatric cancer,” he said.
To learn more about the foundation, visit TheMaryRuchalskiFoundation.org.
