Corona Virus Quarantine Day #188: Keeping it all in Perspective: September 24, 2020:

Today is usually one of my favorite days of the year. Instead I felt an emptiness all day. Today would have been our 6th annual Lemon Out event. Except…we couldn’t host it because of Covid. Covid has taken so much from all of us, I can’t tell you how disappointed I am it took this too.

The Lemon Out is an incredible event where we raise money and awareness about Pediatric Cancer. But, most importantly, it is an event where we honor cancer heroes that fought this horrible disease and won. We also honor the angels who fought their battle and lost.

We still played a volleyball match tonight. A 5 set, 2.5 hour thriller. It was an awesome high school volleyball match. The kind of match that everyone (who understands sports) walks away and says “that was fun,” regardless of what side of the outcome you were on.

Sports are in so many ways a great reminder that we should always give our all, always fight with everything we have because we never know when we may play our last game.

I was proud of our girls and how they fought tonight. I think as a mom, coach, human being…teaching young woman how to fight through adversity is the most critical skill we can arm them with…but, I digress.

These kids we typically honor on this night know how to fight better than any people I’ve ever met. I was sad that we didn’t get to cheer for them as they went through our team tunnel. I was sad that we didn’t get to educate a gym full of people how ridiculous it is that only 4% of all federal funds go to Pediatric Cancer. It’s a statistic that every time I write it or read it makes me feel rage.

I saw this picture today and it’s puts everything into focus for me….about this battle these families face and about the responsibility I feel to help fight this horrific disease.

This is what tonight, and our Lemon Out event, is ALL about. Pediatric Cancer is bigger than just the young person fighting the battle. It is what it does to siblings, how it changes their lives. It means birthday’s, anniversary’s and holidays in hospital rooms. It means parents missing their other kids stuff. It’s a kind of hard that most people don’t even want to think about.

I think as adults we have a responsibility to teach young people that one person can make a difference. We have a responsibility to teach them that sometimes things are hard and unfair but that doesn’t mean we quit or stop fighting. We always fight and we do it with a smile on our face and with the help of our community. We must also teach young people that when we see injustice we can help to correct it and we should.

The Lemon Out does all these things.

So yes, I am sad that the Lemon Out didn’t happen in it’s true form. I would have loved for the people in that gym tonight to see that magic. I think our world needs a little of that magic right now.

I’m grateful our kids got a chance to play, because 4 weeks ago, it didn’t seem like a 2.5 hour volleyball match was going to be possible. But I can still be a little sad that our event wasn’t possible this year. Next year it’s coming back bigger and better than ever.

If you have any interest in helping to be a part of a solution, please take time to go to our Million Mile page. We need to raise about $4,000 more dollars to hit our goal of $100,000. Bonus…right now, your donation will be doubled by Volvo. So please, if you can, click on this link below and donate something to help find a cure for this hideous disease.

https://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/2201201

Click on above to go to our page to donate. To sweeten the deal, if you donate, I will enter your name in a drawing to win a Kendra Scott Necklace!

Side note…when I got home tonight, I found Finley Joe sleeping with his baby brother who I was told was “scared.” I love how they take care of each other. That is what it is all about. We must take care of each other. Always.

#dorseyshenanigans

#celebr8awesome