(LEWES, Del.) - A 5K on Labor Day brings out families, therapy dogs, local runners, politicians, and a retired NHL player. The 3rd annual Rylie's Dog Days of Summer is all for the Rylie's Smile Foundation, a 501c3 started by one 12 year old girl.
Rylie Maedler of Rehoboth Beach was inspired to start her foundation after battling life-threatening bone tumors. While she was undergoing treatments, her grandmother gave her an i-Pod to take her mind somewhere happy. Now Rylie shares this escape from reality with other children. "We raise money to give i-Pods to children in the hospital to distract them from all the testing procedures and we also raise money for advocacy for better alternative medicnes for kids with debilitating diseases and we just want to help them live a normal life," Rylie tells WRDE.
She was the first pediatric patient of medical cannabis in Delaware. It helped cure her and now she is raising awareness and funds to help other children battling critical medical conditions.
Rylie's family is thankful for all that she has overcome and proud of all that she has achieved. "She stands up and she speaks out for other children who can't speak for themselves and she does it in such a way that it grabs the attention of medical professionals," says Rylie's mother, Janie.
A few years ago Rylie was able to grab the attention of Delaware legislators and get cannibis legalized for children in Delaware. Rylie's Law was passed unanimously in 2015.
The Maedler's first approached Senator Ernie Lopez in 2014 to get his help with the legalization of cannabis for children. "There's really nothing more important to the three of us and to all of us in the General Assembly than the health of our kids here in Delaware and to be able to pass legislation, to allow children to have access to medicinal cannabis, was a big step forward," Lopez says.
Rylie explains how crucial alternative medication was to her recovery. "I took cannabis and it helped my bones regenerate. It shrank my tumor and it also helped my seizures."
Rylie holds fundraising events locally and she travels to medical conferences around the globe with the goal of improving the life quality of children who are suffering. She has more annual events to come including a river ride boat tour and a fundraiser at Nicola's Pizza.