Alice is the happiest little girl. She is silly, curious, thoughtful, and kind. She loves her stuffies, Bluey, playing at the park with her friends, and dancing in both silly family dance parties and her ballet class. When she comes upon a big field, she will joyfully race to the other side. She also loves being a big sister to her 1-year-old brother, Lewis, and especially loves to help feed him and keep him safe. Books are one of her favorite things. She spends many mornings snuggling with her mom on the couch quietly reading. Early in her treatment, Alice organized a book drive, donating boxes and boxes of books to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Cancer Center. She also reads a lot at clinic visits.

Alice always had issues with balance. In May 2024, she had an MRI to try and identify the cause. Her parents didn’t expect to be told their 3-year-old had a tumor on her brainstem and would need immediate surgery. Thankfully the surgery successfully removed the hydrocephalus caused by the tumor, and Alice was diagnosed with DIPG, an aggressive and untreatable type of childhood cancer. Alice was given less than a year to live.

Alice’s family was connected with the team at CHOP who discussed Alice’s case. The plan was to begin radiation, but after review, the team felt Alice’s symptoms and history didn’t quite line up with her diagnosis. They performed a biopsy from which Alice received a new diagnosis: low-grade glioma. Though her tumor remains inoperable, it is treatable with chemotherapy.

Today, Alice is receiving 60 weeks of chemo and has MRIs every 12 weeks to monitor her tumor. She compliments her clinic nurses on their beautiful nails as they access her port, helps “give her tubie a drink”, and likes to help shake her blood vials. Her resilience is incredible, and she is her mom’s hero.

“Alice has been on a journey that we hope our children never have to be on, but she remains full of strength and joy and kindness,” Brittany, Alice’s mom, said. “When she hears other children crying, she will look to me with compassion and say ‘that kid is having a hard time.’ Even after scary procedures, she will wipe her tears and race to the doors with that gleeful scream of a 4-year-old getting away with something, already excited about the next parts of her day.”

Brittany wants other families who may also be facing a childhood cancer diagnosis to know that all feelings are valid. “You will feel all of the feelings, from gut-wrenching despair and anger to a level of joy in everyday moments that you weren’t able to access before. However you are feeling is the right way to feel,” she shared. “Also, don’t be afraid to accept the help of others, or to be honest about what you need.”

To Alice, Brittany, and their family, the work that Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) does means a lot. “ALSF’s work touches all of the important pieces of the childhood cancer experience,” Brittany said. “We have hope that through research support, improved treatments and even cures can be found. But ASLF also supports families while they are in the trenches of cancer treatment, whether inpatient or in the clinic or making their way in the world in survivorship. It raises awareness in a joyful way – what is happier than a lemonade stand?”

“I can be scared and brave at the same time.” – Childhood cancer hero Alice

Information provided by Brittany T., Alice’s mom
Updated May 2025