Riley Rejniak fought hard and he fought long.
He fought every moment since being diagnosed with cancer as a kindergartner. He fought for eight years, eight months, one day and 18 hours.
On the day after Christmas, Riley’s lengthy and difficult fight came to an end.
His family announced Monday that the 13-year-old Leesport boy had passed away Friday.
Riley’s heroic battle with stage four neuroblastoma drew attention from around Berks County and beyond. Just a week before Christmas the community packed into the Leesport Fire Company for a special super-hero-themed holiday party in his honor.
Visitor lined up to greet the guest of honor, posing with pictures with Riley. Just hours before, he had been released from Hershey Medical Center where he was receiving treatment for his fourth relapse since his original cancer diagnosis.
The cancer that had come back was, this time, resistant to chemotherapy. It caused him to have problems regulating his blood pressure and for fluid to fill his lungs.
When he left the hospital, it was to return home for hospice care.
“It’s been pretty devastating this week, his body is just shutting down,” his dad, Greg Rejniak, said during the party. “I can’t even explain how we’re feeling.”
The Rejniak family is close-knit, Greg said, feeding off the heart full of love that Riley always had. Along with his parents, Greg and Ashley, Riley had a special relationship with his brothers, Greyson and Elijah.
Riley’s family said he will be remembered as a bright spirit who was full of life and curiosity. They say he had an inquisitive mind and a passion for learning, particularly about dinosaurs and praying mantises.
Riley Rejniak chats with guests at A Very Riley Christmas, a superhero-themed Christmas party held at Union Fire Company in Leesport on Dec. 17 in his honor. The 13-year-old, who had been battling cancer since he was in kindergarten, died Friday. (DAVID MEKEEL – READING EAGLE)
Riley was adventurous and enjoyed hunting, fishing and swimming. He loved playing video games, watching scary movies, listening to the band Imagine Dragons and was a huge fan of super heroes — most fervently Spider-Man.
That love of superheroes could not only be seen at the Dec. 17 holiday party in Leesport, but also during the annual Run for Riley, a fundraising 5K race that featured plenty of participants donning capes, masks and other superhero regalia.
Memorial Services to celebrate Riley’s life will be held Jan. 3 at noon at LCBC Leesport, 130 Redners Way, Leesport.. A visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to noon in the church.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions in memory of Riley be sent to Laney’s Legacy of Hope, P.O. Box 5861, Wyomissing, PA 19610; or The Jeff Musser Foundation, PO Box 216, Akron, PA 17501.
For online condolences, please visit leibenspergerfuneralhomes.com.