BATON ROUGE – A 5-year-old cancer survivor is giving back to the hospital that helped her recover — St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Little Madison Hussein hosted a lemonade stand fundraiser last year, which was very successful. Now, she’s hoping to do it for the third time.
“We did have our first lemonade stand fundraiser, and we were able to raise over $10,000. I think mainly it was because of the coverage that you guys did for us, and we appreciate it so very much.” Madison’s Mom, Andrea Hussein, said.
The proceeds went directly to St. Jude, whose mission is to find cures and save the lives of children with cancer. The hospital holds a special place in the Hussein family’s hearts due to the help they received during their time of need.
Andrea recounted the time when her daughter, Madison, was diagnosed with cancer. It all began in April of last year, right around Madison’s birthday.
“She came to us the night of her birthday and said, ‘Mommy, my belly hurts,’” Andrea said. “She had a cupcake that earlier day and a hamburger. So I thought maybe that was a little rough on her stomach. So I told her, ‘Go to your dad, and he’ll work on your belly.’ So she did.”
Her father, who has a doctorate in Physical Therapy, began rubbing her belly and noticed something unusual. “When he went to work on her, he felt some abnormality in her belly and knew something wasn’t quite right,” Andrea continued.
He discovered a lump, prompting the family to visit urgent care, where they were quickly referred to the ER.
“We were devastated when we found out there was a mass, but we were both held onto our faith that everything was going to be okay,” Andrea said. Madison was diagnosed with Ganglioneuroblastoma (GBN).
They ended up at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, where the tumor was removed during a seven-hour surgery. Today, little Madison, now 5, is still cancer-free.
For Madison and her family, giving back is personal. They want to ensure other families in similar situations have St. Jude as an option.
“It’s true when (St. Jude) says they take care of everything. We didn’t have to pay for housing; they covered all of that. We were so grateful. It’s a sad place to be because you’re dealing with cancer. But these people genuinely care about the children. I’ve never been to a place like that before. I’m forever in debt to them.”
Lemonade hasn’t been Madison’s only way of raising money. She has also raised funds through custom paintings. “She loves painting. She really got into it. She said art helped her. Painting helped her feel better,” Andrea shared.
The lemonade fundraiser will be held Sunday, Sept. 28th from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Assurance Financial at 9029 Jefferson Hwy.
If you want a painting, you can contact Andrea on Facebook. Donations can also be made online.
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