The Childhood Cancer Blog

Alex Scott

Love and Lemonade (Letters to Alex Scott)

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.

We Still Believe, Alex

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. 

Reflections on My Daughter (And a Few Lessons Learned Along the Way)

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.

The Stand That Started It All: An Interview with Alex’s Parents

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.

The Girl Behind the Pictures: Happy Birthday to our daughter Alex Scott 

by Liz Scott, Alex's Mom 

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. 

It began with Alex and it will end with cures: Introducing our Formula for Cures

by Trish Adkins

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.

Nurses Week: The Nurse We Needed

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. 

Alex’s Legacy: One Story at a Time

by Liz Scott, Alex’s Mom

Today, January 18, 2018, would have been my daughter Alex’s 22nd birthday; most of you know her as the founder of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. Every year as Alex’s birthday rolls around, I wonder what is left to say about Alex. I have shared so much about her amazing life, her heartbreaking struggles and her extraordinary ability to persist. She was a special girl that is certain. I am proud to be her mom.

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