Two young women from Madison, Alabama, Maelin-Kate Carlson and her best friend Landri Kruse, have some meaningful plans today. For the third consecutive year, they’re setting up a lemonade stand to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The stand, which opens at 9 AM and runs until they run out of lemonade, is located at the Heritage Station Subdivision Pool on Bayberry Drive. Alongside lemonade, they’ll also be selling Chick-fil-A chocolate chunk cookies and custom-designed t-shirts, with all proceeds going directly to St. Jude.
Over the past 50 years, St. Jude has significantly boosted childhood cancer survival rates from just 20% to more than 80%. With the help of donors, families at St. Jude don’t have to worry about medical treatment costs, housing, travel, or food expenses. This cause really resonates for Maelin-Kate and her family.
Maelin’s mother, Share her inspiring story on the St. Jude website, aiming to uplift others facing similar challenges. Back in 2017, Megan and Paul Carlson, already parents to four boys, decided to adopt children with medical needs from abroad. When they saw a photo of a beaming girl, they felt certain she was meant to join their family. In September, they traveled to China and brought Maelin-Kate home, where she quickly bonded with everyone.
Initially, Carlson was focused on addressing her hip dysplasia. However, routine blood tests uncovered a more serious issue: Fanconi anemia, a rare genetic disorder affecting bone marrow. The family sought assistance from St. Jude, where doctors closely monitored her health and eventually located a compatible marrow donor after a lengthy search. By 2019, Maelin successfully underwent a transplant at St. Jude after months of treatment.
According to Wuff, Maelin and Landri first connected at a local pool in 2021 and quickly became friends. After Landri’s mother heard about the St. Jude Lemonade Stand Challenge in 2023, the two girls launched their first stand. They even managed to raise over $8,000 in the first two years.
Both girls express their personal connections to the fundraiser. “As a St. Jude patient, they helped me get back to health, so this is meaningful for me,” Maelin shared with Wuff. Landri added, “I know how difficult it was for her during her time at St. Jude.”
Despite her ongoing health condition, Maelin remains cheerful and resilient, although regular check-ups are necessary. Her mother noted that Maelin finds happiness in the small things. She delightedly recalled a day when she saw butterflies and enjoyed spaghetti for dinner, declaring it “the greatest day ever.”
For Maelin-Kate and Landri, every glass of lemonade sold is a way to express gratitude to St. Jude and instill hope in others.
