Long Island Diner Raises $1,500 For Alex's Lemonade Stand, Pediatric Cancer Research

FARMINGDALE, NY — Whiskey Down Diner raised more than $1,500 to support Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, a charity that raises money for pediatric cancer research.

The cause "hits very close to home" for the Kanaras-Mohan family. "Super" Luke Mohan, 6, is 1-year cancer free after he was diagnosed with stage four high-risk neuroblastoma in February 2022. Luke and his big brother, Pete, manned the lemonade stand last Sunday.

Alexandra "Alex" Scott, the founder and namesake of Alex's Lemonade, died of neuroblastoma in 2004 at the age of 8.

"Your donations fund research that brings better treatments and cures to children with cancer, a cause that is very near and dear to our hearts because our Super Luke battled neuroblastoma and is our superhero," wrote Alyson Kanaras, who co-founded the Farmingdale diner with her brother, John.

Alyson and John are aunt and uncle to their sister's child, Luke.

This marks the second September the family wanted to run a fundraiser for Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month.

"Since Luke absolutely loves to have lemonade stands, we decided to choose Alex’s Lemonade Stand as our foundation of choice," Kristina Mohan, Luke's mother, told Patch. "Alex’s Lemonade Stand is in memory of a fellow neuroblastoma warrior, which makes it an incredibly special cause for us."

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation helps families cover costs during cancer treatments and funds research for better treatment options for kids.

Over three days, Volvo Cars matched all donations to Alex's Lemonade Stand. Whiskey Down Diner chose to hold its fundraiser during one of those days. The $1,500 turned into $3,000 because of Volvo's match, Kristina said. The family's page for Alex's Lemonade has nearly hit $6,000 as of Wednesday.

"We are very grateful to everyone who came out that day, and to all that added to our online fundraiser as well," Kristina said. "Knowing first hand the stress that comes with having a child with cancer, we want to help others in the same situation."

Luke is scheduled for his quarterly scans and a brain MRI on Oct. 3, his mother said. The routine tests are to make sure he has "no evidence of disease." The family plans to head to Memorial Sloan Kettering then as well as Dec. 19 for his seventh cancer-fighting vaccine created at MSK.

"We appreciate the continued love and support and would like to continue helping fellow warriors," Kristina said.

In April, the diner sold the "Super Luke Shake" as its Shake of the Month. All proceeds went to Sloan Kettering's Cycle for Survival non-profit.

Whiskey Down Diner, located at 252 Main St., Farmingdale, opened in June 2019 and has since become a popular Main Street eatery known for its brunch, dinner, cocktails and milkshakes.