Awareness Thursday: Alex's Lemonade Stand

Today, in the globalized world we live in, there are causes everywhere. Every time I open facebook and look at the requests sent from my friends there are always a handful of invitations to join a cause raising awareness or in protest to something. While there are many legitimate causes out there, some facebook users invent ridiculous causes which can sometimes make you feel like you do not want to join the other causes you are invited to but thanks to social media sites like facebook and twitter I came to learn of one of my favourite causes: Alex's Lemonade Stand. They were one of the original causes I started following when I first created my Twitter account and it is great to see how many people they have reached for support through social media. I have not seen many of their tweets lately, having many people whom I follow and hardly enough time in the day to be on Twitter 24/7, but I have not forgotten them.

I decided to write about Alex's Lemonade Stand for my first Awareness Thursday because a few days ago I was in K-Mart and while walking down the candy aisle I saw a lemonade flavors Mike and Ike box I'd never seen before. When I picked it up I saw the logo for Alex's Lemonade Stand and knew that this was a sign to post a blog about this cause for this week! I didn't buy them that day but I plan on going back to K-Mart and buying some this weekend.

The story of this extraordinary foundation is both inspiring and breath-takingly endearing. The founder of Alex's Lemonade Stand was cancer patient, Alexandra "Alex" Scott(1996-2004), who at the age of 4 decided to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. She had been diagnosed with neuroblastoma a short time before her 1st birthday and it is the selflessness of that four year old that touched my heart and compells me to want to share the story of the foundation which bears her name and has become a nationwide endeavor on behalf of all pediatric cancer patients. Alex's first lemonade stand, held right in her own front yard, raised $2000 for cancer cure research and the foundation has continued to raise money and awareness for cures of cancers attacking children worldwide.

Alex passed away at age 8 in 2004 and these are the words she used to describe who she was:

"I'm Alex, I'm 8 years old. I have Neuroblastoma and I raise money for pediatric cancer research with the help of other kids and grown ups through my lemonade stand. I give the money I raise to research to find cures for pediatric cancers." -Alexandra Scott, 2004 (as seen on http://www.alexslemonade.org/).

If that is not selflessness and true generosity then I don't know what is. I know that this cause touched my heart in a huge way because cancer does not discriminate and just as Alex had a pediatric cancer any of the children in our families or acquaintance could become suseptible to such cancers and I know that if it were my child going through that I would want to help find a cure for his or her cancer, therefor, I think of all the children like Alex as though they were my own and I will do what is in my power to support research for cures to pediatric cancers.

I thank God for the love He gave Alex during her life but most of all I thank Him for the love He gave her toward other children with pediatric cancer. That she would love others so much, just as she loved herself, is a witness to us all of how we should all love one another and put others above ourselves because we are all one human family. Please take the time to visit the foundation's website, become a fan on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home/alexslemonade, donate or even hold a stand of your own! There are many ways to contribute and raise awareness. In memory of Alex and for the many children with pediatric cancers, lets reach out to the world and link arms together in the search for a cure!

Cheers!