The Childhood Cancer Blog

The Childhood Cancer Blog

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

  • Lakelynn is 6 years old and battling a rare sarcoma.
  • Lakelynn is home and isolated from friends and classmates. “The risk for her, with her little body fighting hard, was too great,” said Leslie.
  • Before the pandemic, Lakelynn hosted lemonade stands to benefit ALSF.

Before COVID-19, coronavirus and pandemic were commonplace words, we shared with you the story of Lakelynn. Lakelynn is 6 years old, a kindergartener in North Carolina and lives everyday with an inoperable sarcoma wrapped around the nerves that control her right arm. 

When Lakelynn was first diagnosed at 3 years old, doctors offered her family very little hope. The tumor was inoperable and radiation was too dangerous because of the tumor location. While doctors worked to reduce Lakelynn’s intense pain, her family began searching... Read More

  • Julia, who is now 5 years old, was diagnosed with retinoblastoma as a baby.
    Julia, who is now 5 years old, was diagnosed with retinoblastoma as a baby.
  • ”Their support helped keep our family going,” said Jessica Malicki. ALSF has helped nearly 700 families in the midst of childhood cancer treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    ”Their support helped keep our family going,” said Jessica Malicki. ALSF has helped nearly 700 families in the midst of childhood cancer treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic

In March 2020, as New York City began to shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Malicki family from Wisconsin began to plan their trip East, to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), located right in epicenter of the outbreak.  

It is a trip they’ve made at least 60 times in the past four years for their daughter Julia. Julia, who is now 5 years old, was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a type of childhood eye cancer, when she was a baby. The cutting-edge treatment, a form of surgical chemotherapy, was not available at her home hospital. New York City was the best... Read More

  • Lakelynn, pictured above, has been battling a rare sarcoma for half her life. She is currently enrolled in a clinical trial funded through the ALSF Center of Excellence program.
    Lakelynn, pictured above, has been battling a rare sarcoma for half her life. She is currently enrolled in a clinical trial funded through the ALSF Center of Excellence program.
  • Above, Emily and Edie Gilger, together with their doctor, Yael Mosse, MD from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia share their remarkable survival story with guests at the 2019 Lemon Ball.
    Above, Emily and Edie Gilger, together with their doctor, Yael Mosse, MD from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia share their remarkable survival story with guests at the 2019 Lemon Ball.
  • Eighteen months after completing treatment for osteosarcoma, Taylor, pictured above, relapsed.
    Eighteen months after completing treatment for osteosarcoma, Taylor, pictured above, relapsed.

Children with cancer face difficult paths through diagnosis, surgeries, treatments, recovery and survivorship. An estimated 15,590 children and adolescents (ages 0-19) are diagnosed with one of the several different types of cancer every year in the United States. 

Five-year survival rates for childhood cancer continue to increase overall, but for some types of cancer, survival rates remain terrifyingly low. Currently, 84% of children diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. are alive at least five years after diagnosis. These survivors may suffer long-term health side effects as a result... Read More

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