Grace Bucklin: Childhood Cancer Hero & Lemonade Stand Host

On November 5, 2004, our world was turned upside down as the doctors told us that our eleven-month old daughter, Grace, had cancer. She was diagnosed with a stage III Wilm’s Tumor and underwent surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. We are blessed with wonderful family and friends who supported us through this ordeal, as well as talented and compassionate doctors, nurses and staff at the Georgetown University Hospital, who helped Grace and our family. Grace is now a happy and healthy 5-year-old little girl who is about to graduate from kindergarten next week! She has been cancer-free for four years, and anyone who meets her today is shocked to hear that she was ever sick.

In the summer of 2006, our older daughter, Abby, learned about Alex Scott and Alex’s Lemonade Stand. Abby had just turned 5 at the time and told us that she wanted to host an Alex’s Lemonade Stand so she could help other kids like Grace. With the help of some friends, we set up our first stand in the summer of 2007 on the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The girls raised $550 in one day! In the summer of 2008, Abby, Grace & their friends hosted three more stands and raised a total of about $2,000 from those stands. They have so much fun hosting the stands and telling all of the customers about Alex Scott’s story and about Grace being a survivor. They love showing off Grace’s scar across her belly!

This past Saturday, May 16, 2009, we hosted our fifth stand and have been touched by the outpouring of support from our friends and community. Over the winter, some friends thought it would be great to build us a proper lemonade stand (instead of us using a folding table). So they solicited donations from local organizations and businesses. The stand they built for us is a child’s dream lemonade stand! Knowing that we have such support from the community helps us and the kids keep up the energy when they get tired during the day. Having the new lemonade stand drew more attention for the girls and this great cause. The children raised more than $1,000 from this stand. We are so proud of Abby, Grace and all of their friends who helped out (Karli, Leo, Maeve, Elena and Isabelle).

What also made the stand on May 16th very special was that Alex’s aunt, uncle and cousin were in Rehoboth for the weekend and happened upon our stand! They introduced themselves and posed for pictures with us and our stand. It was a very special moment for Abby, Grace and Karli, who were all working very hard at the stand that day.

Thank you to Joe Maltese and Rich Doyle at Atlantic Cabinetry Corporation, who built the stand and Tom Benton painted the stand; UNICO Rehoboth Area Chapter (Italian-American group), who supplied the cost of the materials for the stand; the Sherwin-Williams Company, who donated the paint and painting supplies; Joe & Bernie Polinski, who came up with the idea and did all of the design and construction management for the project; and Richard Latham and Barbara Crowl, who painted the custom murals and lettering for the stand. We also want to thank the Rehoboth Toy & Kite Store and Go Fish Restaurant for allowing us to host our stands in front of your businesses.

- Julie Bucklin, Grace’s mom

Wheelchair Athlete Cycles Across America for ALSF

As we quickly approach our busy time at Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, we have had the privilege of “gearing up” in a different way this year. Kenny Herriot, a world class wheelchair athlete has been trekking across the country to raise awareness for childhood cancer. A taxing ride for anyone, we cannot even begin to imagine the physical stamina it must take to ride nearly 100 miles every day for over a month! We are so grateful for all that he is doing, and are impressed by his motivation and dedication to helping raise awareness of our cause.

It wasn’t long ago that Liz received a call from a woman proposing a one-of-a-kind partnership. Her name was Penne English, someone who we have come to build a great relationship with, and she was representing a Scottish hero named Kenny Herriot. Herriot is a world class wheelchair athlete who holds numerous records in Scotland. Kenny had decided long ago that he wanted to cycle across the United States, and when the opportunity presented itself, he decided to make the journey even more special by partnering with a charity. Unfamiliar with US charities, Kenny left Penne with the task of presenting him with candidates. Penne lives in Georgia, and lucky for us, she chose Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation as one of the charities to suggest. Kenny was immediately drawn to our cause, with children of his own, he said he couldn’t imagine having them go through a battle against cancer. After discussing the event, we of course agreed to work with Kenny to spread the word about what he is doing. We have been part of team Kenny, and he has been part of Team Alex, ever since!

Kenny’s ride got underway in the late weeks of April, starting at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. His journey would quickly take him through Nevada, Utah, Colorado and he is currently cycling through Kansas. There have certainly been trials along the way, starting with the RV he and his team are traveling in breaking down. In order to stay on course, and on schedule, Kenny decided to continue his ride without the RV and the rest of his team. Though he did get a little lost without them, they were able to catch up with him that same day. The next bump in the road would be a little more threatening as Kenny’s own cycle had problems in Montrose, Colorado. It was the same day that Big O Tires, one of our great supporters, would hold a reception for him. Kenny made it to the destination and the reception, was interviewed by TV and radio outlets in Montrose, and luckily the next day was able to get his cycle ready to go.

With all these obstacles, Kenny has never lost motivation or dedication to the ride and our cause. We are continuously amazed with how he and his team handle the hurdles thrown their way. Not only are they on schedule, but they get up every morning, start the day’s trek, and share their stories with us. We cannot wait to meet up with Kenny and his team in a few cities as he gets closer to his destination, and hope to throw our own large event when he comes through Philadelphia. In the meantime, keep up with Kenny, Penne and their driver John as they cross the country here:

http://blog.thegreatlemonride.com/

Childhood Cancer Heroes: Kayla Danzi

Kayla, now 6-years-old, was diagnosed with High Risk Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in June 2007. Since the time of diagnosis, we have been told over and over again to make life "as normal as possible,” for Kayla. This advice has come from doctors, family, friends, and even other parents of childhood cancer fighters. We have discovered that this is nearly impossible to do when you have other children to tend to as well as your sick child. Kayla has an older brother Shawn, 15, and a little sister Ava, who is almost 3.

For Kayla, we have tried to keep things “normal” by letting her continue with dance class, attend school and play like the other children, but there is a sense of "non-normalcy" for our two other children. Shawn and Ava are witness to Kayla’s spotlight, so to speak. Kayla’s story and photos have been posted on many websites, and she has been a part of a program called ChemoAngels, which sends cards, letters and gifts to the ill child. Every time Kayla gets a card, letter, gift, is honored, or has a function held in her name, I feel as though our other children may feel less important. I wish there was more support for the siblings of cancer patients, because they have to go through so much. Although they don't have to go to countless clinic visits, hospitalizations, or receive chemotherapy, they do have to witness these things and I think they get tired of being in the background.

We have tried to make sure that they know they are special and loved just as much as Kayla, and that her treatment is ending soon (October 2009). In reality though, Kayla will have to continue to be seen in the clinic monthly for blood tests, will have to go to the hospital for fevers and she will still be watched closer than a normal child. Instilling normalcy has been a very difficult task for our family.

Written by Susan Danzi, Kayla’s Mother

Alex's Lemonade Stands: Bringing Family & Friends Together

Five years ago, my husband and I were in Louisville for the Kentucky Derby. As we were getting ready to go to the races, we saw a story about the horse “Afleet Alex” on the television. The news story told about the horse and also the story of Alex Scott and their connection. It went on to tell about Alex’s character, her battle with cancer and her desire to raise money for children with cancer. We were both amazed at what Alex had done with her lemonade stand and how she touched so many people. We knew that we needed to get involved with her cause.

After the weekend, we came back to our four young children and told them the story about Alex Scott. They wanted to get involved. We did a little research on the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation website and decided to hold our own lemonade stand. The kids made signs, passed out fliers in the neighborhood and invited all of their family and friends to stop by for some lemonade. It was a big success, they raised over $600. The next year, some of our family members wanted to get involved so they held stands in Illinois and Virginia as well as a few more stands locally. That night after the stands were finished, we had a celebration cookout with family and friends at our house. Each year, the number of stands and participation has grown.

This year, we are hosting our fifth annual Alex’s Lemonade Stand. At this time, we have twelve stands across Northeast Ohio and one in Georgia. There will be approximately 100 kids involved. Over the past four years, our family and friends have raised over $40,000 for pediatric cancer research.

Lemonade Stand weekend has become an event that we all look forward to each year. Not only is it a great fundraiser but it is also a time to share with friends and family. It is so amazing to see all of the kids getting involved. To us, it is about kids helping kids.

We never had the privilege of meeting Alex Scott but we were fortunate enough to meet her parents and the wonderful staff at ALSF. Through all of them, our family and friends have learned that we can make a difference in the lives of others.

-Maureen Huscroft

Visit the Huscroft's fundraising page!

ALSF's First Educational Symposium on Childhood Cancer

In addition to funding research to find a cure for childhood cancer, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) also seeks ways to make a difference for families touched by the disease. We currently provide support in the form of treatment journals, transportation and lodging expenses, as well as an online educational center where parents, teens and kids can learn about the many aspects cancer.

Now, we are planning an event to bring live, up-to-date information to support the community. On Saturday, June 27th 2009, ALSF will be holding our first Childhood Cancer Symposium at the Marriott Courtyard in downtown Philadelphia. This free, one day event is designed to be an educational resource to help families of childhood cancer. It is being organized in response to the growing need of families to learn about the many issues related to diagnosis and treatment. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions, meet other families, and equip themselves with the necessary tools and knowledge to fight childhood cancer. Our program was designed to have something to offer to every family - those with children who are survivors, still undergoing treatment, or have passed away.

A glimpse of our Symposium’s program

Parents can:

• Receive insight on how cancer affects every member of the family
• Voice their fertility concerns and learn about their child’s options
• Learn how to deal with their grief
• Participate in simple mind-body exercises to reduce stress and anxiety
• Gain knowledge about long term treatment complications and potential health risks for survivors
• Participate in a support group
• Learn about clinical trials
• Learn ways to help their other children, including dealing with sibling jealousy

Parents, patients as well their siblings are welcome to attend. A separate itinerary will be provided for the children as well as a medic team in case of an emergency. Breakfast, lunch and an optional dinner are provided for all attendees.

ALSF Hero and Symposium Attendee, Brett Staino & his father.

Though we cannot take cancer away, we can fight it, we can support the families, we can bring them together and we can help empower them. This is what we aim to do on June 27th, 2009. Please visit our website for more details on how to benefit from this event: http://www.AlexsLemonade.org/special-events/symposium-childhood-cancer

For questions, please contact Shirley@AlexsLemonade.org