2 Days Until Our Stand!

First and foremost. I have a prayer request and some very sad news to share. Matt's cousin and her husband just lost their newborn daugther due to a heart condition. Out of respect for their privacy I will not share more details, but I do ask that you keep this family in your prayers. We are all just devastated but praying for God's strength and comfort to surround them.

Tomorrow is our big baking day in preparation for our lemonade and baked goods stand. I have a group of wonderful women joining me tomorrow to bake the day away! On the menu are lemon cookies, lemon poppy seed muffins, and lemon bars. All of the shopping for the big day is done! It's amazing how many people I've been able to talk with about our stand as I've been out shopping. Having a cart full of lemonade mix certainly draws some attention! As September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month I tell anyone who will listen about organizations like the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation who are in need of donations to find a cure.

Speaking of money for a cure...have you voted today in the Pepsi Refresh Everything contest?
You can vote ONCE PER DAY by clicking here. Please consider posting this link on your facebook page this month. Remember there is $250,000 at stake that will go directly to the doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering to help children with Neuroblastoma!

Thank you to ALL who have donated online for our Alex's Lemonade Stand. I have also received several amazing donations personally. So far, we have raised close to $300! My goal for this year is $1,000 since we are only having our stand for 1 day versus 3 days last year. I'm SO confident that we can exceed this goal!

Please make plans to come to Oakfield this Monday for the Day in the Park Celebration. There will be a parade starting at 10am and entertainment throughout the day for the whole family. And of course their will be lemonade!

Awareness Month Begins

As soon as I met her, I knew her.

She is a mom of a little boy with Neuroblastoma, just like me.

I had only emailed her for a few months after having been matched up to be her mentor through the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation's mentor program. We were matched up because we live only a few hours apart and both of our young sons had been diagnosed with Stage III Intermediate Risk NB.

I knew of her son William's story and a little bit about their family, but after spending half of a day with them at Strong National Museum of Play, I felt like I knew her heart...because so much of her heart was just like mine.

When two cancer families meet it is like connecting with an old friend. You bond over similar experiences, tear up when you can literally feel the agony that they have experienced because you have too, and you instantly feel drawn to their precious child who has suffered as your child has. It is terrible to have to meet a friend in that way, but the connection is deep and beautiful.

September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month. We are in full swing at our house as we prepare for our 2nd Annual Alex's Lemonade Stand. The focus of Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month is to raise awareness and funding to find a cure. There is no better way to raise awareness than to share the stories of children who have battled cancer. I can't make you feel what it felt like to go through that experience, and it's impossible to know how it feels to deal with survivorship issues on a day to day basis unless you are dealing with them yourself. But I can do my best to tell the story of a beautiful little boy named William and hopefully cause you to realize that he could be your son...his battle could be your battle. I hope and pray that his story will touch your heart and lead you to help us in this battle.

Please stop by tomorrow as I share William's story...