The Childhood Cancer Blog

Alex Scott

Alex Loved Birthdays

Today my daughter, Alex, would have been turning 26 years old. When Alex was living, she loved her birthdays and we made sure to celebrate each as wonderfully as possible. By Alex’s 8th birthday, we knew it would be the last birthday we would celebrate with Alex and wanted to make sure it was one to remember.  We hosted a huge party at Build-A-Bear.  I still have the pink poodle she made with the little heart she placed inside with her wish.  When I asked her what she wished for, she said very quietly, “For my cancer to go away”.  I still get a lump in my throat thinking about that wish—a wish that I knew at that point would not come true. 

Gratitude

Earlier this month I celebrated my 52nd birthday. Every year in the days surrounding my birthday I find myself reflecting on my life. I try not to fill my reflections with regrets, but instead focus on all that is good in my life and the people I am grateful for. I feel like the luckiest person in the world, so choosing just one person to be grateful for is like trying to choose a favorite star in the sky. Some people seem surprised when I say I am lucky. My beautiful, amazing daughter, Alex, died when she was 8 years old from neuroblastoma. She was sick for nearly her entire short, sweet life.

Alex: A Life with Purpose and Determination

Today marks 17 years since I shared my last moments with my daughter Alex. It was a lifetime ago.  Since then, our lives have marched on. So many small and large moments have come and gone and milestones have been reached. I have tried to live a good life that honors her through our work with the Foundation, of course, but also a life that honors something greater – the gift of having dreams and life goals and getting to reach them.  I guess you would say living a full and purposeful life is itself a tribute to Alex, as it was something she fought for and worked for her entire life. The lemonade stand she wanted to host to help other kids get better is a shining example of how she had a dream and worked hard to reach it.  But Alex had other things she wanted to do too, some she achieved through pure grit, and some were left incomplete. Alex was not yet a year old when she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. That diagnosis would frame the rest of her life; but it would not stop her from dreaming and fighting for all the things she wanted. 

The Heart of It All: Happy Birthday to My Daughter Alex

On January 18, we celebrated my daughter's 25th birthday. She isn’t here to celebrate with us — her last birthday with us was when Alex was just 8 years old. The conflicting emotions that I feel today are inseparable from each other. Alex’s birthday is a reminder of the gift of her life and the ache of her absence. I feel gratitude and joy alongside grief and sadness. I carry the complexity of these feelings with me every day as I try to live my best life possible, just as she did. Read more from Alex's mom, Liz Scott.

Feel-Good Friday (A Stand for Hope Edition)

Childhood cancer does not take a break because of Covid-19 and neither does Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.  Children need our help more than ever.  This year the 14th Annual Alex Scott: A Stand for Hope Telethon hosted by CBS 3 is going virtual.  This yearly annual tradition brings together inspirational stories from childhood cancer families, supporters and the amazing team at CBS 3. It is an incredible day of feel-good stories—that always leaves everyone inspired to make a difference for kids with cancer.  Here are some feel-good Friday stories, sure to leave you standing for hope too:

The Rarity of Alex

Today is the rare collision of the day our daughter Alex passed away at the age of 8 and the start of Lemonade Days. Our daughter Alex had a rare cancer with neuroblastoma — not one in a million — but pretty rare. And she was a young trailblazer, who at the age of 4, ignited a movement to cure childhood cancer with lemonade stands. As her mother, I know that knowing Alex was a once in a lifetime gift, and sadly her lifetime was cut short. Alex was just 8 years old when she died. We all miss her every moment.

Feel Good Friday: The Original Edition

This weekend, we should have been holding our stand in Alex's memory in our neighborhood. For 20 years, this has been our annual family tradition. Of course, the first year, in 2000, we did not know it would be our annual tradition, or that her little front yard stand would become her legacy -- one that has raised more than $200 million to find a cure for other kids with cancer.  There was so much we did not know then: like how many more years Alex would fight; that her treatment would take our family to Philadelphia where we would raise our kids; that her story would inspire people to join her movement, to start their own movements and to believe that one person can make a difference; that people would name their children after Alex. The list goes on and on; but nothing is more precious to me than knowing that her life has literally made other kids' lives possible, by helping to provide them with the cures that she never knew in her life. This is truly remarkable. 

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