Community rallies for Algonquin girl with cancer

Jen Yakos was overwhelmed as she considered what the future might hold after her then-7-year-old daughter Bella was diagnosed with cancer last year.

The Algonquin resident remembers watching Bella sleep, wondering how something so terrible could happen to her beautiful and sweet child who loves animals and books and playing with friends.

"How is this happening right now?" she asked herself. "How can we get through this?"

But something clicked, Yakos said, and she stopped thinking "what if." She had to be strong for herself, for her family and especially for Bella. So she learned to take it one day at a time.

"I literally have to live in this present day," Yakos said. "That's the only way you can make it through without losing your mind."

To support Bella and her family, the Goddard School, an early childhood education center in Elgin, is hosting a fundraiser called "Bella's Lemonade Stand" from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today through Friday.

All proceeds will go toward the family, said Sheryl Nelson, owner of the Goddard School, 2496 Bushwood Drive. But the best part, she said, is that Bella will be given the opportunity to run the lemonade stand.

"We want everyone to come and have fun with Bella and make her feel really special," Nelson said. "I want her to have that experience as a child of having the best lemonade stand ever."

Last August, Bella was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer that forms from nerve cells.

"Ever since then, it's been a whirlwind," Yakos said.

Within six days, Bella had begun the first of seven rounds of chemotherapy. She later underwent surgery to remove a tumor and then had a stem cell transplant.

Sometime during those initial stages of treatment was when Nelson first met Bella over FaceTime. The Yakos' longtime baby sitter, Danielle Schmitt, works at the Goddard School and introduced Bella to students and teachers, Nelson said.

"It was really heartwarming to be connected to this little girl," she said. "She needs to know that people care."

Bella started radiation treatment in May at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, requiring the Yakos family to travel to Chicago almost every day for a month.

She has since entered the final phase of first-line treatment: immunotherapy, which teaches the body to attack cancer cells, Yakos said. Though the treatment doesn't end until October, she plans to return to school at Lincoln Prairie Elementary School in Lake in the Hills, where she will be in third grade.

Yakos said she's luckier than most parents who have children with cancer. Both she and her husband, Ryan, were able to maintain flexible schedules and keep their jobs throughout treatment.

"But driving down there every day, the parking, the food - it all adds up," she said.

In June, Yakos' 6-year-old daughter Kelsey started attending summer camp at Goddard School. Not long after, Yakos said, Nelson approached her about the lemonade stand.

"We think it's really important for the children to learn to pay it forward," Nelson said. "We love doing things for good causes, but this good cause literally touches home with us every day. When it's personal and local, that's where you can make the most impact."

The community has gone above and beyond in organizing the fundraiser, Nelson said. One family created wooden signs, while another family built a lemonade stand and painted it Bella's favorite colors - pink and turquoise.

People have donated lemons, sugar and water. Surrounding businesses have offered an endless supply of ice. One family also donated the money to purchase thousands of personalized cups.

"In the 43 years I've been alive, I've never seen such amazing community support," Nelson said. "The amount of money, love and effort going into this to make a difference for (Bella) has really been heartwarming."

The Goddard School also set up a GoFundMe account for the family.

Over the past year, Bella's family has received more love and support than they could have ever imagined, Yakos said.

"It keeps us going," she said. "The prayers, the thoughts, the positive energy - it helps us get by. It has been incredible."