September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a cause that’s near and dear to our hearts thanks to our partnership with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF). We’ve partnered with ALSF since our founding in 2018 and have donated more than $800K to the organization to help fund childhood cancer research and raise awareness. Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children in the United States and during the month of September and beyond we’re committing to raising awareness.
Through our work with ALSF we have the opportunity to highlight two childhood cancer heroes who have benefitted from their support.
First, let’s meet David.
David is a two year old boy who lives in Pennsylvania. When he was 4 months old, his mom noticed his eye seemed to be glowing in a strange way.
Eventually, David was diagnosed with retinoblastoma and began treatment at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Wills Eye Hospital. He had to travel nearly three hours from his home in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania several days a week to receive four rounds of chemotherapy, weekly blood tests and monthly eye exams.
ALSF was able to assist their family through their Travel For Care program which supported them with travel expenses to ease the financial burden.
The journey was difficult, but worth it when David was deemed cancer-free in 2021. Now, their family is happy to watch David grow into the happy, healthy and loving little boy he is today.
Meet Ailani.
Ailani is a seven year old girl who lives in Maryland. In March 2019, her parents noticed a red rash on her belly and scalp. After getting bloodwork done, Ailani’s parents were told their sweet daughter had leukemia.
Ailani immediately began the standard treatment protocol for leukemia. Then doctors discovered she had a rare mutation, and she transferred hospitals and received a bone marrow transplant from her dad. She then underwent several relapses that no treatment could prevent.
Today, she has begun a new clinical trial at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with hopes that she will find her cure. Ailani’s family is comforted knowing that foundations like ALSF are working hard to make more clinical trials available.
We’re so grateful for David and Ailani’s families for sharing their stories. Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation is a wonderful way to get involved and support families like theirs who are experiencing a childhood cancer diagnosis.
An easy, fun way to get the whole family involved is to participate in ALSF’s Million Mile virtual fundraiser this September. Sign up to run, walk, or cycle together and give hope to kids fighting cancer.
