Join the Emilia Lemon Aid Challenge for Awareness

Our WHY:

On Tuesday, October 17th, 2023, Emilia was diagnosed with stage 2, high-risk neuroblastoma. Emilia has received 6 aggressive rounds of chemotherapy, an 8-hour resection surgery, 12 rounds of radiation, and 4 rounds of immunotherapy. She continues to battle this aggressive disease with 6-day immunotherapy treatments, every 21 days. You can follow along on Emilia’s journey @emiliathewarriorprincess on Instagram.

Hi, I’m Emilia’s mom, Danielle. I created this Lemon Aid Challenge, with the help of some friends, in honor of my daughter’s battle through cancer over the last year. After Emilia was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, I quickly realized how common pediatric cancer is and how grossly underfunded pediatric cancer research is. 1 in 285 kids will get cancer before the age of 20, while only only a mere 4% of all federal funding for cancer research is dedicated to pediatric cancer research. We believe the only way to change that is to raise awareness. My goal with the Emilia Lemon Aid Challenge is to create a fun and engaging experience, in order to raise awareness. The funds raised during this challenge will all go back into pediatric cancer community, as well as to an established pediatric cancer research organization. We also intend to use these funds for acts of kindness to pediatric cancer families, primarily at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. If this challenge becomes bigger than anticipated, we may use a portion of it to begin a nonprofit to carry on the legacy of Emilia’s bravery and continue raising awareness and acts of kindness in perpetuity.

How the Challenge Works:

1. Grab 4 Lemon Slices: These represent the 4% of federal funding for cancer research currently allocated to pediatric cancer research.

2. Set a Timer: Start your timer as you begin sucking on the first lemon slice. The goal is to see how fast you can get through all 4 slices.

3. Donate: However many seconds it takes you to complete the challenge is how many dollars you donate to our cause. For example, if it takes you 10 seconds, you donate $10. If it takes 40 seconds, you donate $40.

Venmo: lemonaidchallenge

4. Record and Share: Record your lemon-biting moment on video, explain that you are doing the Lemon Aid Challenge to raise awareness for pediatric cancer. Share it on social media with the hashtag #lemonaidchallenge

5. Challenge: challenge and tag at least 3 friends to do the same! Copy and paste these steps into your own video.

***this is not a nonprofit or an established organization. We are a cancer family hoping to raise awareness about pediatric cancer. You can follow our journey @emiliathewarriorprincess