92131Magazine.com

Lorenzo “Enzo” Rissolo was just nine months old when he was diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer. He spent seven months in the hospital before losing his battle to the disease, and it is a time his parents, Zoë and Dominique, courageously recall with nostalgia. “Rather than recount the physical pain and anxiety that he endured, we reflect upon the ways in which he blossomed during his seven months in the hospital,” described Zoë. “With good cheer, he would push through the severe discomfort and nausea, and remind us that he just wanted to play. In the end, it was almost as if he tried to compress an entire childhood into seven short months.”

Despite having to endure extreme heartache in her own child’s situation, Zoë drew strength and inspiration from another child’s story. “Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation was started by Alexandra ‘Alex’ Scott in 2000, when she was four years old,” explained Zoë. “She decided she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to be able to give the money to the doctors to help other kids.”

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