With September and Childhood Cancer Awareness Month upon us, I am getting out to as many events and speaking engagements as possible to raise the profile of childhood cancer. These events often bring memories of Alex to the surface, allowing me to reflect on the time that has passed, and what I have learned about childhood cancer, and especially life over the passed 10 years. I wanted to share a recent experience with you, a trip to Kansas City, worth reflecting upon.

I went to Kansas City, which is the home to many of ALSF’s greatest supporters, to attend an event entitled Heroes and Halos. The event was held on National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day, Saturday, September 12, on the farm of Ken Waldock. Ken, who had come upon a lemonade stand held by one of our volunteers, decided to hold a day of celebration for families of children who have or had cancer. It was a day of fun, entertainment and amazing food that brought together over 300 people in the area who have been affected by the disease.

As always, I was honored to represent the foundation, but this event represented a special situation for me. As you know, I am Alex’s mom, and I have experienced what children with cancer go through firsthand. I have seen the sadness, worry and heartache that accompany us on the journey. It is a journey that is all too familiar to the attendees at the Heroes and Halos event. What this event reminded me of however, is something far removed from that anguish – it’s that for every tear there are many more smiles, for every worry there are many more carefree days, and for each moment that our hearts ache, there are even more moments when it soars. It is sometimes hard to imagine that anything positive can come out of something as awful as childhood cancer. I know that I didn’t believe it when thirteen years ago my daughter Alex spent her first birthday in the ICU instead of at home eating her first slice of birthday cake. In fact, I probably would have had some choice words for anyone who tried to tell me that anything good could come out of my baby’s suffering. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to learn this through my daughter, Alex showed me through the way she lived the next 7 years of her life and the legacy of hope she left behind.

The Heroes and Halos event too taught me that even in the seemingly worst of situations, there are reasons to smile. Like so many of the children present at the event, Alex taught me about helping others and overcoming challenges. She taught me about believing in dreams, even if they seem impossible. She lived life to the fullest each day and made the best of any situation. Living with childhood cancer taught me that life is what you make of it, and that for all the bad in life, it is far better to focus on the good.

The truth of the matter is, there are tens of thousands of children who are battling cancer or have battled cancer with the same determination, grace, and courage that Alex did. I had the immense pleasure of meeting many of them, and their families last weekend. Alex was the spark that started this lemonade movement to find a cure, but these children are the inspiration to continue in her memory. Thank you to everyone in Kansas City for allowing me to not only remember how important the battle against childhood cancer is, but how important it is to appreciate every day too.

- Liz Scott, Alex's Mother