One cause that is extremely near and dear to my heart is Alex’s Lemonade Stand. For those of you who have never heard of this charity. I will try my best to tell you all about it.
Alex’s Lemonade Stand is a charity supported by many people in America in which all the profits go to pediatric care and the funding for research of childhood cancer. Since the first ‘Lemonade Stand’ in 2000, the charity has raised over $55 million for cutting-edge projects helping millions of children affected by cancer, supporting families of children receiving care, to develop resources to help people affected by childhood cancer, and so much more.
The official objective of this inspiring charity is to:
•Raise money for pediatric cancer treatments and cures
•Raise money by holding lemonade stands
•To speed up the process of finding new treatments and cures
•Encourage and spread education about childhood cancer
I personally got involved with the charity in my freshman year in high school when I lived in the US. Every September, I would notice almost everyone wearing Alex’s Lemonade Stand t-shirts and I got intrigued by the topic. I started researching the charity and became interested in it more and more.
Then, a couple months after the start of my freshman year, I met a mom, just like any other, wearing an Alex’s Lemonade Stand t-shirt in a measly nail salon in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I asked her if she was a patron of the charity to which she replied, “Yes, I am one of the ambassadors.” She told me about her daughter, who was only 7 years old and battling brain cancer. She told me how her daughter had to go through the painful chemo-therapy all through her first grade year, and she told me how brave her daughter was, and how she never stopped smiling. I thought, that seven year old must be the bravest child ever.
The mother told me about how many children Alex’s Lemonade Stand helps, and where pediatric cancer care would be if the charity was never started. The amount of children who have to battle such demons everyday of their lives is nothing short of incredible to me, and the prospect of their lives being much worse than they already are, troubled me greatly.
I am forever grateful for that mother for sharing her story with me and for telling me how anyone, even if only a little bit, can help a cause that so much needs to be helped.
Blog Challenge #1 - written for Mibba's Activism Challange