Buy a Cup of Lemonade

This weekend is National Lemonade Days (June 6-8), sponsored by the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF). Proceeds from every cup sold will benefit research and treatment of childhood cancer. The founder of this non-profit, Alexandra Scott, was a remarkable child.

Born in 1996, she was diagnosed with the childhood cancer condition neuroblastoma before her first birthday. Alex seemed determined even at this young age to beat the disease fate had dealt her. At the age of four, she underwent a stem cell transplant, and at that time told her mother that she wanted to sell lemonade to help the doctors help other kids like herself. With the support of her family, the first annual Alex’s Lemonade Stand for Childhood Cancer in West Hartford CT raised over $2,000. Alex continued to hold her annual fund raisers after the family moved to Wynnewood PA, where she was being treated at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Within the next few years, the fund raiser gathered more media attention, fulfilling one of Alex’s goals to raise awareness of childhood cancer. In the meantime, her efforts raised millions of dollars for research. Today it is estimated that her “lemonade stand” has raised nearly $80 million and funded over 400 medical research projects.

One of the beneficiaries of that research is the featured hero on the foundation’s website, Edie Gilger. A youngster from Virginia, Edie was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in 2009. She underwent an aggressive regime of chemotherapy, which ultimately did not shrink her tumors. Edie was approved for a drug therapy trial at Children’s Hospital.  So far, the results have been encouraging:  her cancer has disappeared with no side effects associated with the traditional chemotherapy treatments. Her parents credit research funded by Alex’s Lemonade Stand with saving their daughter’s life.

Alex would have been 18 this year, and most likely working towards her career goal as a fashion designer. Sadly, Alex passed away in 2004, but her family continues her fund raising efforts through the foundation named after her. 

Her incredible life story is very humbling to me. Alex accomplished more in her life of 8 years then I can ever hope to accomplish in my lifetime of 54 years and counting.

The Lemonade Days fund raiser this weekend is nationwide. Seek out an Alex’s Lemonade Stand near you and raise a cup for awareness and research for childhood cancer. Also remember a little girl who got a very bad break.

(Thank you for reading…and drinking!)