Adelaide, a childhood cancer survivor, turns experience into advocacy for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation
With her bubbly personality and warm smile, Adelaide Kanton looks like any other high school student. But look a little deeper to the strength behind that smile and you may see some of the incredible battle she's endured.
This childhood cancer survivor overcame a devastating diagnosis and a number of demoralizing setbacks in her treatment. But now?
"But it worked after a long 10 years. And now I'm officially in survivorship program," she said. "I just had my first enrollment into that."
Adelaide's journey began when she was only 6 years old. What seemed like simple growing pains quickly escalated into a devastating diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
"So it started when I was 6 years old, getting ready to go into first grade and I started having knee pains... it got to the point where it was like I couldn't walk," she said. "I had to get carried out of my class because I just couldn't walk, I was crying in pain."
Her diagnosis revealed a rare genetic mutation which made her leukemia even harder to treat. What followed was a decade-long battle.
"I relapsed three times. I did two T-cell transplants, one bone marrow transplant," she said. "I had a clinical trial T-cell therapy done and it sent me into cardiac arrest twice. But ever since then, I have been cancer-free."
For Adelaide's father, Tom Kanton, the experience was a test of resilience and unwavering dedication. He says, for his daughter, not fighting was never an option.
For her particular case, it was about eight years, eight, nine years that we were going through it, so it was a long duration," he said. "It was like a marathon."
Adelaide credits her survival not only to cutting-edge treatments but also to the strength she found within herself and the unbreakable support system around her.
From like a very early stage of my diagnosis, there are some people that have it way worse than I do and if they can get through it I can get through it," she said.
Now in remission, Adelaide has turned her experience into advocacy, becoming a passionate supporter of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.
"I always looked up and loved this foundation just because of how close it was to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia," she said. "I'm so happy I decided to reach out to them."
Adelaide urges everyone to consider donating to organizations like Alex's Lemonade Stand to fund lifesaving research.
"Especially Alex's Lemonade Stand, they care so much and they are so inspired to help and find treatments that they are going to put everything they have into it," she said.
Adelaide Kanton's journey is a powerful reminder of the resilience of these incredible children and the importance of family, science and community.
