Hannah is a strong, intelligent girl who is full of attitude but also loves to cuddle. She is very vocal about what she wants and has no problems bossing her brothers around. Since being home from treatment, she has blossomed as a 2 year old. She loves her babies, playing doctor and watching videos on her phone.

One day, Hannah had a small lump on her back setting in between her ribs. When she cried, it popped out further, plus it doubled in size in a two-week period. The ultrasounds were inconclusive, so doctors scheduled an MRI. That’s when they found a mass in her chest. She underwent surgery the next day to remove it, but they discovered it was a stage IV extra-renal rhabdoid tumor. Since then, Hannah’s undergone chemotherapy and radiation to try and beat the cancer.

Her parents hope that she lives a long life with God by her side. They bet she'll be a nurse, or at least work in the medical field after spending so much time in the hospital. She loves taking care of "sick" people now. They can’t wait to watch Hannah have a family one day.

She is a hero to her parents first and foremost because she is their daughter and she is surviving cancer. She has exceeded everyone's expectations of her treatment and scans. She powers through everything that she faces.

Their best advice to other childhood cancer families is to never give up. Make sure to ask questions when you don’t understand something too, doctors tend to forget to explain in "normal English."

They see Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) as a way to get your whole family, or just yourself, involved in a charity for a good cause. Their family has received a lot of help from others after diagnosis and they are always looking for ways to give back. ALSF provides that. Plus, these kids with cancer deserve safer, better treatments and hopefully one day, a cure.

Information provided by Carissa Staton, Hannah’s mom

Updated December 2018