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Woman taking stand against childhood cancer

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By KLINT LOWRY | The Suncoast News

Published: June 6, 2009

People hope for nice, sunny weather on the weekend. But for next Saturday, June 13, Dawn Johnson is especially pulling for a one-day heat wave that will send the community in search of a cool, refreshing drink.

Johnson setting up a lemonade stand from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the parking lot outside the Florida Blood Service office at 7214 S.R. 52, about a block east of U.S. 19. Her lemonade stand will be part of Lemonade Days. Alex's Lemonade Stand, a nonprofit organization that raises money for childhood cancer research, sponsors the event.

Johnson, who lives in Hudson, is operating the stand in support of her niece, Erin Curtis, who has lost two infants in less than two years to acute lymphocytic leukemia. ALL is a form of blood cancer that primarily strikes children 4 -12.

"I don't know how she has kept her head screwed on, but she has been a phenomenal mom," Johnson said of Curtis.

Curtis lives outside Philadelphia, home of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, one of the country's leading hospitals for the treatment of childhood cancer. It also happens to be the home of Alex's Lemonade Stand.

In 2000, 4-year-old cancer patient Alexandra "Alex" Scott and her brother Patrick set up a lemonade stand on their front lawn to raise money to help find a cure for kids with cancer. By 2002, Alex's Lemonade Stand had gained national attention, featured on "The Today Show" and "Oprah."

By the time Alex succumbed to neuroblastoma, another common childhood cancer, in 2004, the organization she started had raised its first $1 million. It has now raised more than $25 million.

Johnson said she and friends and relatives are hoping to bring more attention to the organization in this area, driven by their own experience.

Curtis' case has been unusual, Johnson said. In 2006, she gave birth to a daughter, Avery. She was diagnosed with ALL at 5 months, a rather early diagnosis, and treatment was difficult in a child that young.

After Avery died in September 2007, doctors assured Erin it was safe to have more children. Research suggests environmental factors and lifestyle could trigger ALL, but medical science has found no genetic link to the disorder. To everyone's shock, four months after Erin gave birth to twin sons Nolan and Calvin in 2008, Nolan was diagnosed with ALL. He died in March.

Their case has drawn the attention of cancer researchers around the around the world, not just because of the astronomical odds but because Nolan's surviving twin, Calvin who is perfectly healthy so far, provides a rare opportunity for research and observation.

"What has turned out to be absolute tragedy for our family has become a goldmine, medically," Johnson said.

For more than two years now, the people at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Alex's Lemonade Stand have been tremendously supportive, Johnson said. Liz Scott, Alex's mother, has befriended Curtis. It is a big part of the reason Johnson feels compelled to contribute.

"I'm doing it because she's my niece, and I want to give back to the organization that's helped her so much," she said.

Johnson was pleased Florida Blood Services, for which she does part-time work, was willing to let her set up her stand in its parking lot. She was floored with the support she got from a neighboring business.

"Kickin' Wing had been phenomenal," Johnson said, referring to a Hudson-area restaurant. When she asked if she could put a flyer in the window of the Southern-style restaurant, manager Scott Broshears donated 100 gallons of lemonade and all the cups they need.

Johnson is hoping to make her Alex's Lemonade Stand an annual event. With the help of generous local sponsors like Kickin' Wing, that's a strong possibility. There's still one ingredient needed: a community that is feeling thirsty or generous or both.

Klint Lowry can be reached at 727-815-1067 or at klowry@suncoastnews.com.

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