The Childhood Cancer Blog

The Childhood Cancer Blog

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

September kicks off Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. All month long you can “Go Gold” in honor of the nearly 17,000 children who will be diagnosed in 2023, the 1,800 children who die each year and the over 500,000 survivors of childhood cancer who are alive because of research. 

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is a critical part of the search for cures. While everyone has heard of childhood cancer, not everyone understands the impact the disease has in the lives of children and their families. From the fear and uncertainty to endless hospital procedures to financial and family... Read More

  • The Banaszek family pictured with their nurse family. C.J. was in-patient for eight months.
    The Banaszek family pictured with their nurse family. C.J. was in-patient for eight months.
  • C.J., pictured above, was diagnosed with CML when he was 11 years old. “Our family spent the next two-and-a-half years alongside him while he fought the most courageous battle I have ever known,” said his mother Heather.
    C.J., pictured above, was diagnosed with CML when he was 11 years old. “Our family spent the next two-and-a-half years alongside him while he fought the most courageous battle I have ever known,” said his mother Heather.

Pediatric oncology nurses fill a critical family support role — and sometimes their expertise is in a well-timed hug. 

Katniss Everdeen is a good hugger.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that Katniss Everdeen is a fictional character from the Hunger Games movies. While that may be true, in 2013 one of my son’s nurses dressed as Katniss for Halloween. She gave me a hug when I needed it most.

My son, C.J., was going through a particularly rough time in his treatment for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). We felt like we were playing Whac-A-Mole chasing... Read More

  • “And it was the most rewarding experience for me,” said Steve Sattler about the first time he did a photoshoot for Flashes of Hope. In addition to taking photos, Steve has also helped raise nearly $45,000. (Photo credit: Steve Sattler)
    “And it was the most rewarding experience for me,” said Steve Sattler about the first time he did a photoshoot for Flashes of Hope. In addition to taking photos, Steve has also helped raise nearly $45,000. (Photo credit: Steve Sattler)
  • Flashes of Hope, a program of ALSF, creates free portraits for children fighting cancer. The uplifting black and white portrait packages are keepsakes for families to honor the unique life and memory of their child. (Photo credit: Kim Zaruba)
    Flashes of Hope, a program of ALSF, creates free portraits for children fighting cancer. The uplifting black and white portrait packages are keepsakes for families to honor the unique life and memory of their child. (Photo credit: Kim Zaruba)

Steve volunteers his time photographing and fundraising for Flashes of Hope, a program of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) that provides professional portraits to children battling cancer. 

The first time Steve Sattler shot for Flashes of Hope, a program of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation that creates free portraits for children fighting cancer, he was nervous. Steve was an experienced photographer, he first recieved a camera as a kid and never let it go even through his years working in marketing and sales. Once... Read More

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