The Childhood Cancer Blog

The Childhood Cancer Blog

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

Sonia was 11 years old when she was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma. Treatment failed. But then Sonia began a new trial, one funded, in part, by ALSF, for a targeted drug used in combination with chemotherapy.

Sarcoma Awareness Month is every July, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, we’re shining a spotlight on pediatric sarcomas — a group of rare and often aggressive cancers that affect bones and soft tissues in children, adolescents and young adults.

While sarcomas make up just 15% of childhood cancers, their impact is anything but small. Understanding what sarcomas are — and why more research is urgently needed — is an important part of supporting children and families facing these diagnoses.

What is sarcoma? The origins of the word sarcoma comes from two Greek words... Read More

My name is Chris Ramirez, and I’m a three-time cancer survivor. When I was 17, I was diagnosed with a type of brain cancer called glioblastoma and was given less than two months to live. Today, I’m 33 and healthy.

It all began in 2009 during the second semester of my senior year of high school when I started getting severe headaches. At the time, I was a star baseball player, captain of the team, with college scouts looking at me to go pro. It wasn’t until I had a stroke that my life turned upside down and I received a diagnosis. 

I began treatment at UCSF with an amazing... Read More

  • Declan’s dream was to turn 5 so he could ride the school bus.
  • Megan shared Declan's story at the 2025 Great Chefs Event.

In 2011, when our son Declan was just 3 years old, he was diagnosed with primary central nervous system (CNS) rhabdomyosarcoma. “Rhabdo,” is a rare and aggressive cancer that typically develops in the soft tissue of the body, like the muscles. But for Declan, the tumor grew in CNS. The tumors were diffuse — as if a dirty cancer bomb had exploded, leaving shrapnel all along his spine, wrapped tight at his brain stem and lumbar spine. Surgery to remove the entire tumor was not possible and high dose radiation... Read More

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