Celebrating Riley Greene’s Five-Year Victory
For 18-year-old Riley Greene and his family, March 25, 2026 marked far more than a date on the calendar. It marked five years of survivorship and a milestone that brought together family, friends and a community that has stood beside them since the very beginning.
Riley first rang the bell in 2021 after completing treatment for Burkitt lymphoma, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the moment was much quieter than what many families picture.
This year was different.
“I was so excited,” Riley said. “I felt like it was such an important moment and milestone.”
Just before his high school graduation party last summer, Riley faced another health scare and had to undergo surgery for a third time — not because of cancer, but because of adhesions from the surgery to remove his original tumor. The experience reminded him just how much he had overcome.
“Having all my family and friends there this time meant so much to me,” he said. “My heart was so full that day. I finally felt like a survivor.”
Facing cancer during COVID
Riley’s mother, Kellee Greene also reflected on the unique challenges of supporting her son through pediatric cancer treatment during the pandemic. Because of restrictions, only one caregiver could be with Riley at a time. His brother Aydin could not visit. Extended family could not gather around them. The experience was deeply isolating.
“It was 10 times harder because we couldn’t be in the hospital together,” she said. “Not having our support group through grandparents, aunts and uncles made everything so much more isolating and hard. You’re getting these awful diagnoses and there’s just no one there to lean on. As a mom, you just want to protect your kid, and you’re there alone.”
During that time, Courage of Carly made a meaningful difference.
“They would find little gift bags of crafts for you to do or a scavenger hunt or something to get the kids’ minds off of why they were there. They were crucial,” Kellee said.
When everything changed
Kellee remembers how their journey began: in July 2020, when Riley started having severe abdominal pain. At first, the family thought it might be a stomach bug. After a visit to the pediatrician and then a trip to Golisano Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, what they thought was appendicitis quickly became something much more serious.
“They took him back for an ultrasound, and the doctor came in and said, ‘We can’t see his appendix,’” Kellee recalled. “So, they sent him for a CT scan. The doctor asked me to step out into the hallway, and right then and there, I just knew. I said, ‘I work at Roswell. You can tell me.’ That’s when he said, Riley has a tumor on his intestine. We think it’s Burkitt lymphoma.’”
They knew life would never be the same after hearing those words.
Riley went through eight rounds of inpatient chemotherapy over eight months. In February 2021, he was declared to be in remission and rang the Victory Bell for the first time the following month.
“I remember only having my mom, dad, brother, my grandparents and my aunts,” Riley said. “I could only have 10 people there. We had to wear masks, and it just felt kind of meh. I was so young and didn’t really fully understand all I went through, so it didn’t feel as meaningful or exciting as when I just rang for five years.”
A celebration that meant even more
That is part of what made this year’s celebration so emotional.
“There’s just no words,” Kellee said. “It just touched my heart. I know it touched his heart. It was incredible to see all the people we’ve met on this journey show up to be there for him. We were just so proud of him for everything that he’s been through, and there he was ringing that bell.”
For Riley, getting to celebrate this milestone surrounded by loved ones was a long awaited moment he will always cherish.
“Over the years, I attended more and more bell ringing’s of my friends and I saw how much love and support they had and I wanted that too,” he said. “It meant everything to me to celebrate this milestone with my family and friends. It’s a moment I won’t ever forget and it holds a very special place in my heart.”
Growing into an advocate
Over the past five years, Riley has grown from a young patient into a survivor determined to give back. Kellee says the experience changed him in lasting ways.
“He’s matured faster than he should because he’s been through so much,” she said. “He’s his own advocate now. He walks into doctors’ appointments and takes charge. He is an honors student at Hilbert College right now. He’s just matured and grown.”
One of the clearest examples of that growth is Riley’s Warriors, a nonprofit initiative born out of Riley’s own experience in the hospital.
During one hospital stay in December 2020, Riley was admitted with a neutropenic fever just two weeks before Christmas. As a child who had always loved the lights, decorations and spirit of the season, Riley was devastated to be in the hospital during this time of year.
“My husband decided to try to find some lights to bring to his room,” Kellee said. “He decorated his room, and holy cow, did that make a difference. Riley got up and walked, he started eating and he got home a week before Christmas.”
The following year, Riley had an idea.
“He said, ‘Mom, Dad, can we take lights to the kids? I want them to feel that experience,’” Kellee said.
That simple wish turned into Riley’s Warriors. What began as delivering a few lights and decorations has since grown into full holiday room decorating bags, smile packs and hospital starter packs for pediatric cancer patients and families.
“It’s just because of his love of wanting to give back to all the kids that go through what he went through,” Kellee said.
Finding family through Courage of Carly
That desire to connect with others is also a big reason Courage of Carly has meant so much to Riley and his family.
“Courage of Carly has meant so much to me and my family,” Riley said. “Getting to spend time doing fun stuff with kids going through what I did is something very special because they get it where my other friends don’t. I feel free to be myself.”
For Riley, Courage of Carly has been more than a support system. It has become family.
“Courage of Carly is family,” he said. “Megan and Madison are amazing, and I don’t think we would be where we are without Courage of Carly. We have met Chuck [Carly’s dad] and his wife, and I feel like Carly has to be so proud of what her dream has become.”
A mother’s perspective in cancer research
There is another layer to the Greene family’s story, too. In addition to being Riley’s mother, Kellee works in cancer research as a senior research associate at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. She says that perspective shaped the way she experienced Riley’s diagnosis and treatment.
“I feel like it’s a double-edged sword because I knew exactly what he was going to be going through,” she said. “But then I felt like I could be a better advocate for him because of that. I could ask questions that maybe someone who didn’t know the science wouldn’t ask.”
At the same time, going through this journey as a mother changed the way she looks at her work.
“It made me more excited to look for more helpful ways to translate the science to the clinic faster,” Kellee said. “When you see someone like Riley ring the bell, you know what you’re doing is making a difference.”
A message for other families
Now, with five years behind him, Riley hopes his story can encourage other children and families still in the middle of their own journeys.
“I’d just say keep going, even on the days when it feels impossible,” he said. “It’s okay to be scared, it’s okay to be angry, and it’s okay to not be okay sometimes. But you’re stronger than you think and you can do hard things. Lean on the people around you, because there are so many who want to help and we are stronger together. Don’t ever lose hope.”
For the Greene family, the five-year bell ringing was not just a celebration of survivorship. It was a celebration of resilience, community and the people who helped carry them through.
And for Riley, it was something even more personal: a chance to finally feel the full weight of how far he has come.
