Thank you for visiting our Alex's Lemonade Stand page! We will hold a lemonade stand to raise funds for childhood cancer research on May 15, 2010 as part of Arlington's neighborhood day. If you can, please consider making a direct donation for research to make childhood cancer curable for more individuals, with less long-term effects. We are especially passionate about raising funds and awareness for children's cancer research after Jessica was diagnosed with a young adult cancer, Hodgkin's Lymphoma last year at age 26. Hodgkin's is a rare cancer of the lymphatic system diagnosed in just 8,000 people in the US annually, mostly people in their 20s. The treatment of Hodgkin's Lymphoma- which is now curable for 85-90% of people who get it- is one of the great success stories of modern medicine. Jessica feels lucky and thankful that her disease responded to current treatments, such that she has nearly the same chance as any other person her age to enjoy all of the phases of life. Childhood cancers are very rare- just 12,500 children are diagnosed with cancer annually in the US. This number includes several cancers, so each one has an extremely low incidence. Approximately 80% of children diagnosed with cancer will be cured. Because of the small numbers of patients, funding for childhood cancer research comes from public sources (governments) and donations, rather than through industry research. Research seeks to reduce the amount of late effects (long-term effects- on learning, development, etc) of treatment and to increase the cure rate. Thank you for contributing to research for better treatments for childhood cancers- so that more kids facing this disease will get a chance to live long, full lives.