CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Summertime and ice-cold lemonade hits the spot, especially if it's in support of a great cause like fighting childhood cancer. News 3's latest Everyday Hero knows about that journey firsthand.
Jackie Meeks, 11, is all smiles volunteering at a lemonade stand just outside Greenbrier Manor Preschool in the Warrington Square neighborhood of Chesapeake. When sharing why it's important for her to help out, she states, "Because I know it's supporting the kids who have cancer."
Jackie knows what they're going through: "I was diagnosed in the start of July last year, and now I'm cancer free," she shares.
This time last year was a scary situation for Jackie. She was set to play in a softball tournament when her mom, Katie Meeks, noticed Jackie just wasn't herself.
"There was some fatigue and then a little bit of chest pain that we thought maybe was just some indigestion, and then two days later, a fever came. She was really tired; she didn't want to eat. She still was having some chest pain. And that's when we took blood work and we saw that her platelets and her white blood cells were low and critical," Katie Meeks explains. "In the beginning of July, we found out she had anaplastic large cell lymphoma, which is a rare and aggressive cancer."
It's a scary diagnosis, especially when it's your child. "It's devastating... The whole world seems to crash down," Katie Meeks says.
Jackie spent a lot of time receiving treatment at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters (CHKD), including six weeks of chemotherapy. But Jackie's mother says there was a moment that gave them hope during her treatment: "There was a lemonade stand last July in her honor. And I know I saw the light that it gave Jackie to see her community come together and support."
That effort raised over $22,000. Now, Jackie is a lemonade ambassador supporting CHKD's annual fundraiser, and she's aiming to beat that goal. According to the most recent update from her mom, she's already raised $23,677!
Jackie is very passionate about providing support, especially given how much it meant to her during treatment: "I knew they were supportive very much when I was going through treatment, and I want to give it back to them," she shares.
For her compassion and dedication, we presented Jackie with a News 3 Everyday Hero award, along with a $300 Visa gift card from our community partner Southern Bank. Jackie says she wants to donate that gift card to CHKD's fundraiser to put the squeeze on cancer.
