The Childhood Cancer Blog

The Childhood Cancer Blog

Welcome to The Childhood Cancer Blog
from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation!

  • The Banaszek family pictured with their nurse family. C.J. was in-patient for eight months.
    The Banaszek family pictured with their nurse family. C.J. was in-patient for eight months.
  • C.J., pictured above, was diagnosed with CML when he was 11 years old. “Our family spent the next two-and-a-half years alongside him while he fought the most courageous battle I have ever known,” said his mother Heather.
    C.J., pictured above, was diagnosed with CML when he was 11 years old. “Our family spent the next two-and-a-half years alongside him while he fought the most courageous battle I have ever known,” said his mother Heather.

Pediatric oncology nurses fill a critical family support role — and sometimes their expertise is in a well-timed hug. 

Katniss Everdeen is a good hugger.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that Katniss Everdeen is a fictional character from the Hunger Games movies. While that may be true, in 2013 one of my son’s nurses dressed as Katniss for Halloween. She gave me a hug when I needed it most.

My son, C.J., was going through a particularly rough time in his treatment for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). We felt like we were playing Whac-A-Mole chasing... Read More

  • “And it was the most rewarding experience for me,” said Steve Sattler about the first time he did a photoshoot for Flashes of Hope. In addition to taking photos, Steve has also helped raise nearly $45,000. (Photo credit: Steve Sattler)
    “And it was the most rewarding experience for me,” said Steve Sattler about the first time he did a photoshoot for Flashes of Hope. In addition to taking photos, Steve has also helped raise nearly $45,000. (Photo credit: Steve Sattler)
  • Flashes of Hope, a program of ALSF, creates free portraits for children fighting cancer. The uplifting black and white portrait packages are keepsakes for families to honor the unique life and memory of their child. (Photo credit: Kim Zaruba)
    Flashes of Hope, a program of ALSF, creates free portraits for children fighting cancer. The uplifting black and white portrait packages are keepsakes for families to honor the unique life and memory of their child. (Photo credit: Kim Zaruba)

Steve volunteers his time photographing and fundraising for Flashes of Hope, a program of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) that provides professional portraits to children battling cancer. 

The first time Steve Sattler shot for Flashes of Hope, a program of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation that creates free portraits for children fighting cancer, he was nervous. Steve was an experienced photographer, he first recieved a camera as a kid and never let it go even through his years working in marketing and sales. Once... Read More

When Beaudin’s leukemia relapsed, a CAR T clinical trial in Philadelphia gave the family hope. The only problem: Beaudin lived in Denver. ALSF provided the family with travel support through the Travel For Care program. The treatment worked — today, Beaudin is cancer-free. 

T-cells, a specialized type of white cell, are a powerful force against viruses and bacteria. But cancer has eluded their detection — until now.

When you are sick with a virus or infection, the immune system goes to work identifying the foreign invader and killing it. Each part of the immune system has a job. The lymph nodes and bone marrow deploy white blood cells to the battle. At the front line, T-cells immediately jump into the fight, replicating over and over again, until the invader is defeated. 

These powerful cells are tiny. T-cells measure just eight-to-10 microns... Read More

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