Founded by Erin, Fourth & Gold officially became a 5013C non-profit organization in July 2022. Much of the team is lead by healthcare professionals that are on the frontlines of oncological practice, helping children and their families battle cancer everyday.
How do you say a final goodbye to someone who means so much to you? Are there any final words or any final actions that need to be done? Are there a certain amount of hugs and kisses that make it easier for your heart to handle? Is there a proper way to give your last hug and say goodbye? Is goodbye even appropriate or is it see you on the other side? There is nothing in this world that can prepare you for your last moment with someone who means the world to you… and it scares the mess out of me.
There’s nothing more in this world that I would love to do than to save someone from dying. To cure whatever disease they have that’s taking them away. To give all my hugs and kisses if it meant they could stay on this side of life with me…
Life doesn’t prepare you for death. It doesn’t prepare you to lose your best friend. It beats the hell out of you and tells you it’s only making you stronger… even when you know strength is the last thing you have. Life gives us lessons upon lessons and evidently death is one of those. I’ve never been afraid of death until recently… really, I haven’t. I’ve thought of it as a sometimes beautiful, always going to happen part of life and although I might not understand it, I’ve never been scared of it. Until now…
There’s no right or wrong way to process the dying process. And honestly, I’m not sure why it’s not talked about it more. Maybe death isn’t what scares me, maybe it’s the process that I’m fearful of. Watching someone you care deeply for slipping into a different person, but having the same body isn’t a lesson I was prepared to learn at this stage in my life. But then comes a slight bit of comfort… the slightest bit. Knowing I spent the best moments when we had them, taking advantage of every minute possible and letting them know how much they were loved because I knew the time was coming… it’s a blessing. The dying process is heart wrenching, but being prepared and having the time… I’ll forever be thankful for.
So, no. There’s no proper way to say goodbye… at least not that I’ve come across. What I do know is this: don’t wait until your time is capped with a limit. Enjoy the present moment. Give all your love, even if it means leaving you a little bit empty. Don’t hold back your heart, just because you’re scared of the end. Nothing worth having ever comes easy… and those memories? You’ll have them forever.
If you’re interested in hosting a stand or sponsoring our campaign, reach out to us using this contact form, and a team member will contact you directly.
***This is not our sign up form to receive a kit and host a stand!***
If you’re looking to host your own Lucy’s Lemonade Stand, filling out the form does not sign you up! Once we receive your form submission, we’ll communicate with you directly and send you a link to sign up for your stand.
1.) If you are looking to host a stand during our September campaign, stand sign ups will run June 1 through June 30th every year. We’ll ask for the date(s) you plan to host your stand in September, as well as your location, so we can help promote it and drive traffic your way. In August, we’ll send out stand kits. If you’re local to Jacksonville, we’ll host a meetup where you can pick up your kit in person.
2.) If you are looking to host a stand during our September campaign but missed our sign-up window – no worries! We order extra kits every year, so reach out to us and we will do our best to accommodate you as supplies last.
3.) If you are looking to host a stand outside of our September campaign, that is a possibility as well, depending on the amount of extra supplies remaining. Please reach out to us anytime and we will do our best to provide you with everything you need to host a stand any time of year!
Each host receives a kit designed to make your experience easy and impactful, along with a PDF guide containing everything needed to host a successful – and fun – lemonade stand. Your kit will be packed with lemonade mix, cups, straws, signage, and more. Our goal is to equip you with everything you need to raise awareness and support for pediatric cancer research. All you need to do is set up, mix the lemonade, and help spread the word.
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“I said to the man at the gate of the year, ‘Give me a light that I may walk safely into the unknown’.” “He said to me, ‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.” “It shall be to you better than the light, and safer than the known.”
A New Year’s message from Britain’s King George VI, to his embattled people at the beginning of WWII.