John Kelly Taggart is the bravest person I have ever known. As a toddler, John was very independent and always wanted to do things by himself. Shortly after his 2nd birthday, John always wanted to be held and have his back rubbed. We knew something had changed. Our life was radically different after the subsequent visit to Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CA). John was diagnosed with Stage IV neuroblastoma with tumors in his spine, kidney and 75% of his bone marrow. And so we began the ride on the "cancer coaster." Throughout his 3 ½ year battle John never complained. He was a soldier. Despite the many treatments, stem cell transplant and radiation; John was stoic. I cannot remember a time when he even cried. I suppose Mom and Dad did enough of that for him. 

John lived life as we all should. He did not complain about the procedures he had in the past.  He did not worry about what treatments he faced in the future. John lived life for the present. He enjoyed going to preschool, drinking Jamba Juice, going to Disneyland and riding his Razor Scooter in the hospital hallways. John was a great brother to older sister Hayley and younger brother Luke. John was especially enamored with the birth of the twins, Lindsey and Cal. Perhaps it was because doctors did not think he would live long enough to see them. During one of our many hospital stays, we came across the book, "Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand." After completing it, John said, "Why don't we have a stand?" This began our relationship with ALSF and sparked our drive to see a cure reached. In June 2005, John hosted a stand in Newport Beach, CA. He was all smiles as the guests lined up. We raised $10,000 that first year for ALSF. It was a very memorable day. Some of my fondest memories of John are seeing his huge grin as he served lemonade at that stand. Little did we know that 4 short months later John would complete his heroic battle with neuroblastoma and go on to Heaven. 

John is my hero. He lived life for the gift that it is. Since that first stand in 2005 we have gone on to host six more stands. To date, we have cumulatively raised more than $60,000 towards finding a cure through ALSF. It is our desire to honor the memories of both John Kelly Taggart as well as Alex Scott as we continue to host an Alex's Lemonade Grand Stand every June. Please come and support us!

Written by Kelly Taggart, John’s Father
January 2012