was born out of heartbreak and love in 2014, when Ady’s younger sister Rachel was diagnosed with leukemia at just three years old. Rachel’s battle with cancer took her and her family on a difficult journey, with countless hospital visits, treatments, and extended stays at a hospital two hours away from their home in Pensacola. During one of these stays, Ady couldn’t help but notice the other famil
ies in the hospital—many of them seemed unprepared for the emotional and physical toll that came with long hospitalizations. They didn’t have basic necessities to make their stays a little more comfortable. That’s when Ady decided to take action. With what little she had, she began filling bags with hotel toiletries, coloring books, and small comforts—anything she could find to help families feel supported during their difficult times. In 2015, after Rachel gained her angel wings, Ady made it her mission to continue honoring her sister's spirit. The organization was renamed Rachel’s Bags of Love to carry on Rachel’s legacy and ensure that other families in similar situations would feel cared for and less alone. Since then, Rachel’s Bags of Love, Inc. has delivered over 950 bags—each filled with $40 worth of essential items, from full-sized toiletries to activity books, blankets, and stuffed monkeys, to hospitals across the Florida Panhandle. These bags bring comfort and relief to families who are facing some of the darkest moments of their lives. In addition to providing these essential care packages, Rachel’s Bags of Love, Inc. organizes a variety of fundraising events throughout the year, including bi-annual pickleball tournaments, pancake dinners, a Golden Daddy Daughter Dance, and A Night of Advocacy, the largest event, which funds research for childhood cancer. Our mission is simple but powerful: to fight for a future where no child has to lose their battle with cancer. We do this not just for Rachel, but for every child, every family, and every person affected by this terrible disease. Together, we will keep fighting for hope, for love, and for a cure.
