Childhood cancer is a tragedy addressed globally by the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, and a Cayman couple are doing their bit to help the worthy charity locally.
James and Danielle Bebarfald organized the Lemon Aid road run three months ago to raise money and awareness about the need to help children suffering with cancer, which they feel is a relatively unaddressed issue in Cayman.
The Bebarfalds have two healthy small children of their own, which piqued their interest in the foundation.
Now Danielle Bebarfald has committed to running a road race every month this year to raise funds for the cause.
“I’m nervous, very scared, but mostly hopeful that I will be able to make a difference in the coming year,” she said.
“Just a while ago I learned about Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. These folks raise money for childhood cancer research, which is very much needed for the kids of the world.
“As I learned more about the foundation, the grants, the research needed, something resonated with me in my core. I am now bound and determined to do whatever I can to help these folks with their mission.”
She will average one race a month with the final one, the Cayman Islands half-marathon of 13.1 miles, in December.
“I am not what I would consider a runner, so this is a huge undertaking for me,” she said. “I’m not going to lie, there might be some walking, but I will finish every race and hope all who support me will cheer me on along the way.”
She added that running is not even the scariest part; reaching her fundraising goal of $12,000 for the year is. So far, she has raised more than $1,500.
She pays her own entry fees for each run, so every penny raised goes straight to helping find cures for children with cancer.
The first run was the PAWS 2-mile chaser two weeks ago. Her next will be the CARE K9 5K next month, and then the St. Patrick’s Day run in March.
Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation emerged from the front-yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra Scott, who died at age 8 in 2004. At age 4, she announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer.
Since that first stand, the foundation bearing her name has evolved into a worldwide fundraising movement, complete with thousands of supporters carrying on her legacy of hope.
Kids cancer is the leading cause of death by disease for children under the age of 15 in the United States.
Bebarfald said, “We all know cancer in general is a terrible disease. The more I learn about it, the scarier it becomes.
“For children, there are very few treatments made just for them and the government money allocated to childhood cancer research is minimal. As such, typically, children are given watered-down versions of adult treatments that, even if successful, result in terrible lifelong side effects.
“As a mother of two, this is unacceptable to me and I have set out to do anything I can to help raise awareness and funds specifically for pediatric cancer research. While the running is a challenge for me, I’d much rather be doing that than sitting at my child’s bedside while he or she receives a round of chemo.”
She has chosen Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for several reasons but most importantly because around 90 percent of the money raised goes to research grants.
“This is relevant to the people of Cayman. Any child in Cayman diagnosed with cancer would need to go overseas for treatment so this money is helping those individuals and families as well,” she said.
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