Treatment Funded By Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation Spared Young Woman Heartbreaking Side Effect
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Wednesday is CBS3's 16th annual "Alex Scott: A Stand For Hope Telethon." One of the goals of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation is to find better, safer cures for childhood cancer.
Too many children suffer during their treatment and often, have side effects for the rest of their lives. One young woman who received a treatment funded by Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation that spared her heartbreaking side-effect is sharing her story.
Taylor Hendrix was just 11 years old when she began having excruciating pain in her arm.
"I was swimming every day, and we just thought it was a normal pain and then one day it just kind of became a little unbearable," Hendrix said.
After undergoing testing at Children's Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, Hendrix was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer typically more common in teenagers and young adults going through a growth spurt.
She started chemo two days later.
"When you get diagnosed, your world kind of goes to a standstill and everybody's else just kind of keeps going," Hendrix said.
Her cancer treatment seemed to work at first, and she underwent reconstructive surgery on her arm.
She was doing well for 18 months, then relapsed. Cancer had spread to her lung, making it difficult for her to breathe.
"I had had so many bad things happen," Hendrix said. "I was just waiting for the next shoe to drop."
A year later, Hendrix had to have her lung removed and enrolled in a clinical at Texas Children's Hospital, funded through an infrastructure grant from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.
"Just even getting the chance to be a part of that was amazing because," Hendrix said, "at some point, they're like, we don't know what all we can do for you to get rid of this for good."
The ALSF grant program funds research every step of the way, from early-stage innovative research all the way through to lifesaving clinical trials for children with cancer.
"When we heard about it and met with Dr. Ahmed it was like this thing actually works and it was possible because of Alex's Lemonade Stand," Hendrix said.
Hendrix had beaten cancer but was concerned about potential side effects on her body.
"With treatment, you have so many issues afterward like infertility, arthritis, you just have all these things you didn't necessarily think about because you're just trying to survive," Hendrix said.
Part of Alex's mission is to search for safer treatment and cures for children in an effort to the long-term effects of treatment.
"Infertility, that side comes from all the chemotherapy and treatment to try to save your life and so what's so cool about what I had with the Her2 study is, it doesn't affect that."
Now married with a child of her own, Hendrix says being a mother is an incredible gift.
"I definitely didn't think I would ever be here," she said. "You know, with him and so it's just really surreal. Sometimes, I look at him and I'm like 'are you mine?'"
Hendrix is now a pediatric nurse, helping children with their own health challenges.
Wednesday is our 16th annual telethon. Phone lines will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. but you can donate now here or text "CBS Alex to 44321.
