MOUNT PLEASANT — For the third consecutive year, young leukemia patient Daxton LaRue is planning to host a lemonade stand to raise money for childhood cancer funding research.
The fundraising event benefiting the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation is scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at Malicki’s Piggly Wiggly, 5201 Washington Ave., Mount Pleasant.
It is planned to include a blood drive, as well as a stand from Be the Match, an organization that matches potential bone marrow donors with patients in need. For the kids in attendance, there will be a bounce house as well as face painting.
Over the past two years, Daxton, 7, of Racine, and his family have raised more than $5,000. Daxton’s mother, Angela LaRue, is grateful for the support her son has received.
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“We wanted this to be something special for Daxton when we initially came up with the idea for a lemonade stand,” Angela said. “This is something Daxton looks forward to every year because of all the people that stop by to see him.”
One person who has been Daxton’s biggest supporter is David Arvai, one of Racine’s police officer K-9 handlers. Arvai has attended Daxton’s lemonade stand both years and is planning to go again on Saturday.
“I will definitely be there with my dog and spend the day with Daxton,” he said. “It’s amazing the progress he’s made since his diagnosis; he’s a warrior.”
Daxton’s fight
“He’s doing good,” Angela LaRue said of her son. “We have our struggles every now and then, but we’re almost done with the chemo.” Daxton is scheduled to be done with treatment on May 24, 2019, and his family is ecstatic.
“We are throwing a huge party for him,” his mother said. “He’s already got the date marked down on his calendar, we all can’t wait.”
Daxton dreams of becoming a K-9 officer, just like Arvai, according to his mother. “Daxton loves David and he really looks up to him,” she said.
Arvai said of Daxton’s dream: “It’s awesome seeing him grow up wanting to do what I do; he’s a great kid.”