Alex’s Lemonade Stand

I was sitting at lunch talking to a friend about her son’s 3rd birthday party.  We were going back and forth on ideas, themes, locations and so much more.  Then I brought up that dreaded question all parents are asked when a child’s birthday is looming, “What can I get your son for his birthday?”  The typical answer is, “Oh, I don’t know.”  Thanks for the help, friend!  Well, much to my surprise she had an answer for me!  She said to donate the money we would normally spend on a gift to Alex’s Lemonade Stand.  Not sure what Alex’s Lemonade Stand is?

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004). In 2000, 4-year-old Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement, complete with thousands of supporters across the country carrying on her legacy of hope.

 

Your child can too hold an Alex’s Lemonade Stand birthday party.  All you have to do is register your child’s party online and notify your family and friends that in lieu of gifts, donations are being accepted in your child’s name.  Click here to read all about it!  Not only is this a great way of raising money for childhood cancer, it’s a great life lesson for our kiddos.  In my eyes, it’s a win-win.

Giuliana & Bill

For those of you who know me personally, you know I have a small obsession with the reality TV show Giuliana & Bill on the Style Network.  Yes, I made sure my husband upgraded our cable package just so I could have this channel.  To clue you in, they lived a few houses down from where I worked while living in Chicago.  I would peek out the window every so often looking for a black Range Rover to pass by.  Gosh, now that I say it,  it makes me sound a bit like a stalker.  Eeek!  I promise you, it never got creepy.

Anyway, I’ve been a fan of theirs for a few years now and if you’ve followed the show like I have, you’ve seen them go through some very high highs and some very low lows.  Here’s a quick recap for those of you who have no clue what I’m talking about.  Bill Rancic – the winner of the very first Apprentice with Donald Trump and Giuliana DePandi Rancic – the host of E! News with Ryan Seacrest.  Sure, they’re not A-List celebrities and whether you love them or hate them, their story is something most of us can relate to.  They met a few years back while Giuliana was interviewing Bill, had a fairytale wedding in Italy and planned to start a family.  They tried to get pregnant for years without any success, which finally lead them to IVF.  After a failed round they found out they were pregnant only to miscarry at 8 weeks.  After much heartache and more unsuccessful rounds of IVF they flew to Denver for treatment by a world-renowned doctor.  That doctor required Giuliana get a mammogram before becoming pregnant.  Much to her dismay, she went to get that mammogram and at 36-years-old Giuliana Rancic was diagnosed with breast cancer.  That’s where this season’s story begins.  It’s heart-wrenching and raw, but something we all need to see.  Her decision to share this information with the world is in hopes she can change one woman’s life.  Just like Giuliana thought, it won’t happen to us.  Well, it did and it can.

Here is a clip from the season premier where Giuliana and Bill discuss her diagnosis:

Giuliana has teamed up with the Style Network to create Fight with Style to bring even more awareness to breast cancer.  Click here to go to the website and sign up for your monthly Underwire Alert to remind you to do your monthly self-exam.

This turned into a much heavier post than I had intended, but I figured this is another great reminder for us all.  And don’t worry, the whole Giuliana and Bill series isn’t this depressing.  If you’ve got the Style Network set your DVR, you’ll thank me.