Cancer is the leading cause of death from disease for children, but every year there is more research helping us learn about how to treat it. For one pediatric cancer patient named Alex Scott, that research has become her legacy. Alex was diagnosed with cancer as an infant and at four-years-old, she created Alex’s Lemonade Stand to fund pediatric cancer research one cup at a time.
Her work and life is the topic of a new show The Amazing Lemonade Girl by local playwright, James DeVita and director Molly Rhode.
"This is an amazing story of this young girl, who at the age of four, told her mother that she wanted to help raise money for pediatric cancer research. From the age of four to when we lost her at eight-years-old, she had raised over a million dollars. Her parents also went on to start a foundation, Alex's Lemonade Foundation, which to date has raised approximately $250 million for pediatric cancer research," says Devita.
He explains that he felt an immense sense of responsibility showcasing this story to a younger audience. Devita even recounts how he went to Philadelphia to gain the blessing of Scott's family.
To further ensure he was portraying the story of Alex Scott right, Devita invited the family to the first reading of the script. He says he got a lot of notes from them that he used.
Rhode adds that the play is very respectful of the of the young people it's portraying and it doesn't oversimplify the tough subjects of the plot. Whenever the story gets to a hard part in the script, the cast acknowledges it.
She explains that taking part in the story gave the cast an outlet to talk about their own hard issues that they've all dealt with.
Rhode says she hopes that the audience sees how just one person can have a big impact on the world.
"I think Alex, in her life and in the way we tell the story, she's setting a good example for how to handle these conversations, and how to be really honest about what is difficult and not be afraid to talk about this stuff. And so I hope that that is something that sticks with folks too, that it emboldens them to say what needs to be said in hard situations," she says.
The play runs from April 22nd through May 15th, showing at the Todd Wehr Theater in the Marcus Performing Arts Center.
