GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) - When 6-year-old Riley Johnson visits the Georgia Dome as an honorary team captain for the Atlanta Falcons, he will likely be one of the toughest people on the field.
The Gainesville boy, who was diagnosed in May with leukemia, will take the field for the coin toss before the Falcons take on the New Orleans Saints in their final regular-season game on Sunday. The Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research’s partnership with the Atlanta Falcons will make it possible.
Riley’s family has been overwhelmed by support from groups like the Rally Foundation and Team Summer, as well as others in the Gainesville community, The Times reported (https://bit.ly/2iIGUwe).
When Riley’s parents get discouraged over their son’s illness, he jumps in their laps and tells them everything is going to be OK.
“He’s a lot tougher than we are,” said his father, J.R. Johnson.
Riley has been taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Scottish Rite hospital for chemotherapy once a week while also taking some treatments at home.
His parents both emphasized how much every other part of their life - particularly their faith - has grown in the midst of this battle.
One of the toughest days came when Riley lost his 8 inches of blond, curly hair, his father said.
When the family was still at the hospital after Riley’s original diagnosis, Riley’s mother, Molly, came across a devotional that encouraged her and inspired three words that start most posts on the “Rally 4 Riley” Facebook page: “So we fight.”
“We’re pulling together,” Molly Johnson said. “God’s got our back, and we’re going to win this fight together.”
While chemotherapy has been tough on Riley, his parents said he has been responding to the treatments the way the doctors had hoped. And he should transition to maintenance treatments, which will drop back to once a month, starting Jan. 23. Some of his hair is starting to come back, too.
As he wore his No. 2 Matt Ryan jersey, Riley was looking forward to Sunday’s game. It will be his second Falcons game; he attended the Dec. 18 home game against the San Francisco 49ers with tickets from the Rally Foundation provided by linebacker Vic Beasley.
___
Information from: The Times, https://www.gainesvilletimes.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.