Isolation isn't a new experience for my wife Liz and I. Like other childhood cancer families, isolation is familiar and necessary. Almost exactly 20 years ago, our family willingly went into isolation for one month. During Alex's isolation, we learned so much. Greatness can come out of trying times and isolation.
I have a little love note that I cherish. It simply says, “I love you, Mom,” in that sweet irregular handwriting that is the trademark of young kids. My daughter Alex wrote it for me when she was around 6 years old. This year marks 20 years since Alex’s first lemonade stand, and 16 years since Alex was last here to pour lemonade and write me love notes. But her legacy has kept the love pouring in.
Today is my daughter Alex's birthday. If Alex were here, we'd be celebrating her 24th birthday. I cannot pretend that these 16 years without Alex have not been painful. Every day without our daughter is marked with pain and grief mixed in with normal, joyous and extraordinary moments. Alex's story—her impactful life, her strong spirit, her wisdom and her belief that anyone, even a kid with a front yard lemonade stand, could make an impact in the fight against something as big and scary as childhood cancer—that is a story I am so glad I get to live. Alex believed that a lemonade stand could cure childhood cancer. And we still do, too.
As time goes by, it is harder to feel close to Alex. Our lives have continued, as they should. The years have created a divide between Alex and me—one that can’t be bridged by any legacy, as it is filled with lost years, lost smiles, and memories we might have created, with me on one side and Alex on the other.
But, there is something else about this divide. It represents the possibilities of what Alex might have become, and I smile when I think of that. It also represents the opportunity Alex left for us—the chance to bridge the divide between cancer and cures—between lives cut short and long, healthy lives.
It all started with one front yard lemonade stand.
ALSF Founder Alex Scott had a big idea: to host lemonade stands to help other kids just like her feel better. Alex's first stand kept growing each year and four years later, when Alex was 8-years-old, her lemonade stand raised $1 million for childhood cancer research. This year, you can experience the stand that started it all on Saturday, June 1, at Penn Wynne Elementary School.
Earlier this week, we sat in our Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation office to look through photos of Alex that we hadn’t seen in a long time. It was a conscious walk down memory lane—one that took us through Alex’s eight birthday parties and her now-famous-lemonade stands and regular family moments with Alex and her three brothers, Patrick, Eddie and Joey.
Starting with her very first lemonade stand, Alexandra “Alex” Scott, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) founder, sparked a movement—a movement not only to help sick kids get better and find cures for childhood cancer; but one that would inspire and call on each one of us to work together.
Over the last 13 years, childhood cancer heroes and their families, donors, volunteers, and of course, researchers have come together for one goal: cures for childhood cancer.
I can’t believe it’s been 14 years since I had the pleasure of hearing my daughter Alex’s voice, seeing her smile, and just sitting alongside her. A lot has happened since then!
Nurses play a critical role in the life of a family affected by childhood cancer. They are medical caregivers—overseeing medication schedules, post-surgery care and coordinating therapy appointments. They help manage pain and treatment side effects. They also provide emotional support to families—supporting parents, affected children and siblings when life is at its most uncertain.
A true dancer at heart, Allison had a misstep when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2020. She was unable to move her left leg and ankle like she used to in dance class, then was unable to walk normally. But she was determined not to give up.
