By Aaron Retherford
When Molly Dubois was just 4 months old, she was diagnosed with a rare form of infant leukemia and was given a 40 percent chance for survival.
She was one of the lucky few, who beat the odds and didn’t relapse after achieving a quick remission.
Now, she’s a lively and enthusiastic 4½-year-old, who loves playing outside with her older sister, Amelia, riding her bike and going to preschool.
But Molly and the rest of her family from Calais want to help other children have the chance to beat cancer and grow up to be rambunctious kids who are full of life and curiosity.
That’s why the Knapp-Dubois family has been raising money for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer the past three years.
The family recently raised $150 at its lemonade stand at the Annual Blackfly Festival in Adamant, and is also taking online donations through June 15 in order to reach a goal of $400, which funds one day of research. Last year, the family exceeded its goal of $250.
The Knapp-Dubois family was also selected as the Vermont State Hero Representative for ALSF. Although ALSF became a national movement in 2004 when 8-year-old Alexandra Scott passed away following a bout with Neuroblastoma – but not before raising over $1 million toward cancer research – this is the first year ALSF has selected one family to represent each of the 50 states.
Although Molly is doing well and has been off treatment for three years, she suffers from the aftereffects of high-dose chemotherapy. She has high blood pressure, short stature, and poor enamel on her teeth.
That’s another reason why the family chose to support ALSF.
“After our daughter’s experience we wanted to find a way to raise money to support the much needed research into childhood cancers, for cures as well as less toxic treatments,” Molly’s mother, Liz Knapp said.
ALSF is one of the few organizations that is dedicated solely to pediatric cancers. It also offers a program to support siblings of kids with cancer called SuperSibs, which has been very helpful for Amelia.
If you would like to donate money to ALSF through Molly and Amelia’s virtual lemonade stand, head to their page.
