Lincoln’s battle with ependymoma, the third most common type of pediatric brain tumor, began when he was 3 years old. Treatment after treatment failed. And now, five years later, Lincoln is hopefully finishing treatment for good. 

His family enrolled him in a clinical trial in Augusta, Georgia, 1,000 miles away from their home in Dartmouth, New Hampshire. The trial, which uses chemotherapy with immunotherapy to treat brain tumors, is led by Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation-funded researcher Dr. Ted Johnson. Lincoln completes his twelfth and final round in November 2022. 

While on the treatment, he’s felt well enough to return to school despite some fatigue. His sister, Hadley, has also been helped by the Foundation. She is enrolled in the SuperSibs program and loves getting unexpected surprises and crafts in the mail. 

For Diane, Lincoln’s mother, the support of ALSF has given her family so much: hope for a cure, alleviation of some of the financial burden and love and support for Lincoln’s sister. 

“ALSF came in and helped our family in ways I cannot express,” said Diane. 

For children facing childhood cancer, the future is uncertain. Meet more kids, like Lincoln, who are facing childhood cancer, right now, and learn more about how you can help:

End of treatment, but not the end of cancer. 
For 5-year-old, Matteo, 6-year-old Jonathon and 6-year-old Olivia, cancer will always be part of their lives. Matteo was diagnosed at 7 months old with a rare kidney cancer and while he is cancer-free, he is constantly screened for recurrent disease and long-term side effects of chemotherapy. Jonathon was two and a half when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. His treatment of two years worked; but then he was diagnosed with a rare side effect of treatment: diabetes. Olivia finishes treatment in November for rhabdomyosarcoma, which caused a tumor in her mouth and sinuses. 

“This is hard, and some days are unbearable, but there is always, always something good. Leaning into those little wins is what keeps this journey doable,” said Haylie, Olivia’s mom. 

Facing cancer again
Cole was 3 years old when he was diagnosed with stage IV high-risk neuroblastoma. He went through arduous, difficult treatment and reached remission. For 15 years, Cole was cancer-free. He battled through long-term side effects to graduate high school with honors. A month before he was set to go away to college, severe pain sent him to the emergency room. The source of the pain was a rare cancer called pancreatoblastoma. 

Instead of being on campus, Cole is at clinic for treatment, while managing his freshman year virtually. 

Living with Predisposition Syndromes
Yash, Bernadette and Tamiyah all battled different childhood cancers but have one thing in common: cancer predisposition syndromes. Yash has faced cancer several times — including rare small bowel and stomach cancers. Bernadette was diagnosed with hereditary retinoblastoma — 30 years after her father battled the same disease. And Tamiyah’s type II neurofibromatosis caused not one, but two tumors to grow on her optic nerve, jeopardizing her vision. All three children face constant surveillance for recurrence and secondary cancers. 

For Giving Tuesday, give now and help children right now. Your gift funds critical research to discover more breakthroughs in treatment, expand access to clinical trials across the country, and support families as they face a childhood cancer diagnosis. Give today and ALDI USA will generously match all online donations made to Giving Tuesday fundraisers for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (up to $100,000)!