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.
If you follow my blogs, my website or my social media, you know that I’m a full time pediatric oncology nurse with a heart wide open. I say full time not only because I’m at my place of employment 40 hours a week, but because my job doesn’t just affect me between the hours of 0645am-730pm. My job affects my heart full time.
Recently, I was asked “what’s it like taking care of kids with cancer?” and my immediate response was “hard, but rewarding.” The person in front of me looked at me like I had 10 heads… “rewarding? What could possibly be rewarding about seeing a child with cancer?” You see, I don’t walk into my job like I’m taking care of kids with cancer. I walk into my job with a heart wide open ready to hang out with the most amazing kids for 12 hours. Sure, they have cancer… but cancer is not who they are. Rewarding? Yes. Rewarding. I get to see amazing kids fight through things I’m not even sure I could get through myself. I get to see my coworkers leave behind their personal lives and mold themselves into who their patients need them to be. I get to see grown adult doctors dress up in clown outfits, put a sharks head on, listen to an 8 year old sing and pretend it’s the best thing they’ve ever heard and escape the reality that is cancer. Hard? Yes. Hard. I see cancer steal joy, a childhood that was just beginning, a family torn apart, fear in it’s worst form and death that knocks on door steps.
How can you have a heart wide open for a job that can be so grim?
Because I’m not a robot. Pediatric oncology never has been and I pray it never will be, just a job. If I cannot go into work with love in my heart and a sense of HOPE for the future, I wouldn’t survive. The connections with families, being a part of transplant days, end of chemo parties, being with a patient on their last days… you cannot do all of that without a heart wide open.
A lot of medical professionals will tell you the opposite. That work and personal life have to be separate. That you have to go into the job expecting the worst, hoping for the best and knowing that death is a part of the job. That’s not me. Death is an exception to me. If you tell me the survival rate is 5%, I am walking in knowing that 5% is enough for me to have a heart wide open and I’ll be damned if I believe otherwise unless it happens. 5% is 5%. I’m going to love, care for and treat that child as if it were my own because I’m not scared of getting attached because they only have a 5% chance of survival. How can you go into your job keeping kids at an arms length because they may not survive? To protect your own heart, I get it. But the distance can be felt from patients and families and that doesn’t make anyone comfortable.
Nursing with a heart wide open is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Part of being a nurse with a heart wide open means to heal the hearts of my patients while they’re waiting on healing for their body.
I’ve met with, connected with and loved on so many patients and families that I’ll never forget. I couldn’t imagine going into my days with a closed heart, closed mind and a “just a job” attitude. The day I do is the day I walk away.
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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.
One Response
This is so beautiful. You have an amazing heart. May God bless you for all that you do for these kids and their families. Thank you for stepping up!