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Cancer survivor donates $11K in lemonade stand money to local hospital

Caroline Gallagher gave the big gift to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital on Wednesday.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Caroline Gallagher spent her weekend in the hot sun. Her lemonade stand offered a cool escape from the blistering Florida heat.

“Lemonade!” she said when asked of her favorite drink. “It’s so sugary!”

The 5-year-old is sweet in more ways than one. Her love for lemonade has led to a big donation.

At just 18 months old, Caroline was diagnosed with leukemia. Just six months after that diagnosis, her 2-year-old cousin, Julia, was diagnosed with Stage 4 High-Risk Neuroblastoma.

Both Caroline and Julia were treated locally at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg. After 2 1/2 years of treatment, Caroline is in remission.

She hosted a lemonade stand three years ago and raised $50. Last year’s raised $800. 

2019 was a huge change.

“At the end of the day we raised $13,000,” said her father, Charles Gallagher. “It blew past any of our wildest expectations.”

Caroline’s lemonade stand to raise money for childhood cancer was part of a larger nationwide initiative called "Lemonade Days," hosted by Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. Over 10,000 volunteers held over 2,000 lemonade stands between June 1-9 for a third straight year.

Caroline donated $11,244.50 to support childhood cancer research at the Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute at the Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital and to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.

“Anytime we drive this way towards this hospital, it brings back memories of when she was born, her stay in the NICU and the 2.5 years of treatment,” said her mother, Danielle.

About Childhood Cancer
Childhood cancer is a general term used to describe cancer in children occurring regularly, randomly and sparing no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. 

In the United States, childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15. 

Every day, approximately 250 kids around the world die from cancer, accounting for 91,250 losing their lives to the disease every year.

About Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation
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. 

To date, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 charity, has raised more than $150 million toward fulfilling Alex's dream of finding a cure, funding over 800 pediatric cancer research projects nationally. For more information on Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, visit www.AlexsLemonade.org.

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