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'Bella's Lemonade Stand' raised $19,000 for Algonquin girl with cancer

The Fox Valley community has exceeded Sheryl Nelson's expectations.

When the Goddard School in Elgin first started planning a lemonade stand fundraiser for 8-year-old Bella Yakos, who was diagnosed with cancer last year, Nelson hoped to raise $5,000. Even that, she recalls, might have been too much.

But when Bella's Lemonade Stand kicked off in August, Nelson was amazed by the number of friends, family members, local residents and even businesses that came out to support Bella and her family, Algonquin residents.

At a fall festival this past weekend, Nelson, owner of the Goddard School, handed Bella a check for $19,080, raised entirely from the five-day lemonade stand and a corresponding GoFundMe page.

“I couldn't believe it. The fact that we almost hit $20,000 is absolutely mind-blowing,” Nelson said. “It's very heartwarming to see the community come together and really support this child.”

During the fundraiser, the line leading to the lemonade stand routinely would be 45 minutes long, she said. Strangers would donate $20 for a cup of lemonade. Spring Hill Gymnastics coaches brought every child and their families during practice one day. Businesses donated supplies, and some even closed down for an hour so their employees could purchase lemonade.

“We're amazed by the support of the community,” said Bella's mom, Jen Yakos. “It's amazing what they did in one week. It was very much appreciated by our family.”

Since Bella was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma in August 2014, she has undergone surgery, seven rounds of chemotherapy, radiation, a stem cell transplant and immunotherapy treatment. In addition to medical bills, which are partially covered by insurance, the Yakos family has been fronting several other expenses: food, hotel stays, travel expenses.

All those costs add up, Yakos said, which is why there isn't one thing in particular for which Bella's family will use the money.

The funds, however, could help with the possibility of Bella participating in a clinical trial, she said.

The purpose of the two-year DFMO trial in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is to prevent relapse in patients who are in remission using experimental drugs that could potentially stunt cancer cell growth.

“That's definitely our hope,” Yakos said.

If Bella is eligible for the trial — Yakos hopes to determine that in December — they will travel to Michigan four times a year, at which point, travel expenses could get pricey, she said.

Additionally, some experimental trials aren't covered, or aren't covered well, by insurance agencies, Yakos said, though she's not sure yet if that's the case for this trial.

“Nearly $20,000 might not even scratch the surface of all their medical bills, but it could open the door to a chance to save (Bella's) life,” Nelson said. “That's a big deal.”

In the meantime, Yakos said, Bella has picked up where she left off before her diagnosis. Her immunotherapy treatments and weeklong hospital stays have ended. She is attending third grade at Lincoln Prairie Elementary School in Lake in the Hills.

“She's a very normal 8-year-old,” Yakos said, “and that's exactly what we could hope for right now.”

  Bella Yakos, 8, of Algonquin and Sheryl Nelson, owner of the Goodard School in Elgin serve lemonade during the third day of Bella's Lemonade Stand in August. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
  People line up to buy lemonade the third day of Bella's Lemonade Stand, a fundraiser organized by the Goddard School in Elgin for 8-year-old Bella Yakos. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
COURTESY OF THE GODDARD SCHOOL OF ELGINBella Yakos, 8, of Algonquin and her mom, Jen, receive a check for just over $19,000 from Sheryl Nelson, right, of the Goddard School in Elgin. The money was raised from a recent lemonade stand fundraiser and a corresponding GoFundMe page.
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