Currently, The National Institute of Health only provides 4% of all research funding to childhood cancer. With limited funding, advancements have been scarce — only 3 new treatments have been developed since 1980 for childhood cancers. As their best option for treatment, many children are suffering through harsh clinical studies that cause life-altering short-term and long-term damage to their health. Even when treatments are successful at eliminating cancer, the dramatic negative effects caused as a result are severe.
Cool Kid Spotlight: Meet Lucy
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and to honor that Look Local First will have Lucy's Lemonade Stand at our first-ever golf tournament, the Look Local First Classic, to raise funds for Fourth and Gold! Fourth and Gold is a non-profit finding and funding pediatric cancer treatments and research! But we bet you're curious about the face behind Lucy's Lemonade!
Meet Lucy Donmoyer, a spunky 7 year old who is fighting childhood cancer one glass of lemonade at a time! Lucy has definitely captured our hearts at Look Local First and we are honored to help her fight childhood cancer one glass at a time! She loves her little sister, Bluey, The Little Mermaid (Ariel is a personal friend of hers) and medium steak with the brown parts cut off! She prefers her dad's steak, Jordan Donmoyer, over restaurant steak! Despite being diagnosed with High-Risk Neuoblastoma in 2020, she's living life to fullest with a smile than can melt the coldest hearts AND she can even see the future!
Check out our Q&A with Lucy below to learn more!
LLF: Tell us a little bit about yourself!
LD: I am 7 year olds and I have 3 pets! 2 dogs and a hermit crab. And I'm also a big fan of cotton candy ice cream!
LLF: What is your favorite hobby?
LD: To snuggle with my little sister! I like to draw too! Drawing and swimming!
Lucy love to draw animals!
LLF: If the sky could rain food what food would you want it to rain?
LD: Steak and my favorite chips! (Cheddar and sour cream)
Lucy likes her steak medium with the brown parts cut off and prefers her dads steak over restaurant steak!
LLF: What is your favorite movie?
LD: My favorite movie is Little Mermaid!
Lucy is on a first name basis with Princess Ariel and they even FaceTime!
LLF: What is your favorite show?
LD: It is Bluey! It's a lot like my family. We're really funny and we're like the same age but I'm older than Bluey. And we're both girls and we both have 4 year old little sisters. And we both have crazy parents. Every night we watch 3 episodes!
Lucy got to speak with the voice actor of Chili (Bluey's mom) recently!
LLF: If you had a super power what would it be?
LD: It would be the power to help people. Like if someone has a broken I bone I would help them.
Lucy can also see the future when she sleeps! She even predicted what episode of Bluey her sister would pick!
LLF: Would you rather have a pet unicorn or a pet dragon?
LD: A pet unicorn for sure!
She would name him Cotton Candy and he would be blue! Dad says she can't keep inside so he would be an outdoor pet!
LLF: Do you have any hidden talents?
LD: I'm not sure!
Lucy's dad said her hidden talent is definitely her memory! She learns all the words to a song after listening to just a few times! She knows all the words to Mr.Brightside by the Killers and can also rub her belly and pat her head at the same time!
LLF: What is the goal of the Lemonade Stands?
LD: To raise money for kids with cancer!
LLF: Do kids with cancer get enough money for cancer research?
LD: No, but that's why we're going to raise money with the lemonade stands!
LLF: How much money do you want to raise for the lemonade stand?
LD: Can you please help us raise $30,000 at Lucy's Lemonade Stand please?
LLF: Anything you wanna say before you go?
LD: HAVE A GOOD DAY *Blows the camera kisses!
We want to thank Lucy and her dad Jordan for taking the time to to sit down for this interview! Look Local First will be hosting Lucy's Lemonade Stand during our Look Local First Classic! You can register to golf here and register to sponsor here ! Donations can be made to Lucy's Lemonade stand via Venmo @LucysLemonadeStand! Make sure you tell em Look Local First sent ya!
If you're golfing or sponsoring during the classic make sure you swing by the lemonade stand! #LucyStrong
Need-to-know information about Childhood Cancer:
🍋 Only 4 % of the billions of dollars the government spends annually on cancer research is directed towards treating childhood cancers
🍋 About 1 in 260 children will develop cancer before the age of 20
🍋 Cancer is the #1 cause of death by disease among children
🍋 95% of survivors experience a significant side effects by the time
🍋 Childhood cancer is not one disease-there are more than 12 major types of pediatric cancers and over 100 subtypes
🍋 On average, clinical trials for children begin 6.5 years after adults trials
🍋 Only 4 % of the billions of dollars the government spends annually on cancer research is directed towards treating childhood cancers
🍋 About 1 in 260 children will develop cancer before the age of 20
🍋 Cancer is the #1 cause of death by disease among children
🍋 95% of survivors experience a significant side effects by the time
🍋 Childhood cancer is not one disease-there are more than 12 major types of pediatric cancers and over 100 subtypes
🍋 On average, clinical trials for children begin 6.5 years after adults trials
About Fourth and Gold :
Children with cancer and their families are far overdue for more humane cures and Fourth and Gold believes that finding and funding the most promising research is the best way to move the ball down the field. Discovering every possible cure may be a long journey, but every marginal advancement has an exponential and immediate impact on the lives of children and their families who are desperate for hope and progress.
As of February 2022, we are now accepting applications for childhood cancer research grant submissions on a rolling year basis. Please submit your grant proposals to erin@fourthandgold.org or to Children’s Oncology Group, CC: Fourth and Gold Inc. Please allow at least 6 weeks for an approval or denial.
Since becoming a non-profit, Fourth and Gold has given over $126,000 for childhood cancer research. In May 2022, we successfully funded our first $60,000 AML grant to Dr. James Huang, out of UCSF California. In May 2023, Fourth and Gold fully funded our second grant of $66,000 to Dr. Hong Qin and Dr. Rocio Rivera, pediatric oncologist research physicians out of Jacksonville, Florida, studying pediatric brain tumor alternative treatments at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville Florida.
Fourth and Gold officially became certified as a 501c3 non-profit organization in July 2020 in order to begin selecting and funding its own research grants. Much of the team is comprised of healthcare professionals that are on the frontlines of oncological practice, helping children and their families battle cancer everyday. Fourth and Gold is uniquely qualified to identify the most pressing needs and select the most promising research upon review. This ensures that all funding will generate the greatest possible results, as opposed to being allocated in a way that is less probable to generate new advancements.
