Read Time: 3 minutes
Video Transcript
Each Labor Day Weekend, Adalyn Wood and her family bake cookies and prep for their Cookies for the Cure for Cancer Research lemonade and cookie stand. On Labor Day, [Adalyn] and her four sisters sell cookies and lemonade, the proceeds are then donated to Huntsman Cancer Foundation to support research.
James Wood, Adalyn’s dad and cancer survivor: I learned that I had cancer when I was 28 years old. I thought I was having a heart attack. I was lying on the floor. My wife came home and called an ambulance. The hospital told us to go up to the University of Utah, [Huntsman Cancer Institute]. We eventually got a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It's a shock for us and for our young family. I had two young girls at that time, Adalyn, who was three, and Ava, who was about a year old.
Adalyn Wood: I remember him being on the floor in the living room and the paramedics coming and taking him. I didn't understand, but I knew enough that when a big red truck comes with lights, it's not good.
Kelly Wood, Adalyn’s mom: That was a life-changing event for us. It changed everything. Suddenly, a husband who was supporting his family couldn't get out of bed and couldn't work, and Adalyn would have dreams at night that her dad was dying, and for this sweet little soul to be so scared, it's really hard.
James Wood: I did chemotherapy for several months and radiation and had a lot of experiences with Adalyn as a young child trying to understand what was going on.
Even if it was from a five-year-old, I think it still felt really big to me and was changing the world
Adalyn Wood: I think I was five in kindergarten, and one of the stories I'd read about was Alex's lemonade stand. She was this eight-year-old girl who had raised a million dollars for cancer research, and it kind of struck a chord with me. I was like, oh, like, that's super neat that she was able to turn something hard for her into something that raised so much money to contribute to cancer research. We wanted to do some kind of fundraiser, and my parents thought it was an awesome idea, and they were like, “Let's do it.” So, we just set up on Traverse Mountain. And I think that year, we raised $256, which, as a five-year-old, was a big deal.
James Wood: We literally just had a table, and we had a couple of poster boards. And, you know, it's really turned into something a lot bigger than that, which is really neat.
Adalyn Wood: This is officially our 10th year doing this. I do Cookies for the Cure for Cancer Research every year. It's turned more into the sisters' project and mom and dad contribute.
James Wood: It is neat to watch all my girls work together, and as they get older, they take more of a larger role. Every year, we have people come who have never seen us before, and they tell us their story and say, hey, my dad passed away, my mom passed away, and here's $20. Unfortunately, I think cancer impacts us all. So when Adalyn first had the idea, she decided the proceeds are going to go to cancer research.
I get to have my dad. He's still here...Every penny matters, no amount is too small.
Adalyn Wood: We've raised over $10,000. So many people have been taken much sooner than they should have been by cancer. It made it so important to me to continue.
Kelly Wood: I didn't know that Adalyn would be somebody that was going to change the world. That they have an ability to make an impact and make a difference I think has been the most inspiring thing,
Adalyn Wood: Even if it was from a five-year-old, I think it still felt really big to me and was changing the world from my little corner of it. I get to have my dad. He's still here. Being able to raise this money, Huntsman [Cancer Institute] is able to use it where it's needed. Every penny matters, no amount is too small.