Olivia Lassam was seven years old when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour, undergoing chemotherapy and surgery.
Now the 12-year-old, who goes by Liv and lives in Victoria, has a big goal as she continues to fight for a cure: She wants to raise $20,000 this year to support to search for a cure to pediatric cancers.
She’s well on her way, raising more than $13,000 so far with her two younger brothers, and on Saturday, Liv and her family are hosting a “lemon-aid” stand that they hope will help reach her goal.
This is Liv’s third year raising funds — her first two lemonade stands raised a total of $19,000. For her third year, she’s “gone a little bigger,” said Liv’s grandmother, Shirley Vickers.
The street at Memorial Crescent and Dallas Road will be closed for the event, which will also feature a bouncy castle, a popcorn machine, a barbeque and, of course, a lemonade stand. Police and firefighters will also make an appearance.
Liv and brothers, Lucas, 10, and Kai, 6, are leading the charge to plan the event and “it’s been quite an undertaking this year,” Vickers said.
They’ve cleaned out their rooms to hold garage sales, sold raffle tickets and have been plastering their Fairfield neighbourhood with posters to advertise Saturday’s event, she said.
Liv and her family have spent this week in Maple Ridge at Camp Goodtimes, which offers medical supervision so that children with cancer can enjoy a summer camp experience without worry.
A family camp program extends that experience to the whole family, giving parents a chance to bond with other parents facing similar challenges and an opportunity for families who are often busy with treatment to reconnect.
“It’s beyond words what it provides for our family,” Vickers said.
Proceeds from Saturday’s event will go to Cops for Cancer’s Tour de Rock, which partners with the Canadian Cancer Society to raise money for pediatric cancer research and Camp Goodtimes.
The Lassam Lemon-AID block party takes place Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. at Memorial Crescent and Dallas Road. Anyone wishing to contribute to Liv’s fundraising campaign can do so at tourderock.ca by searching for the Lassam Lemon-AID team.
