Family Of Teenager To Hold Cancer Fundraiser In Falls Church

FALLS CHURCH, VA — The family of a teenager who died from cancer almost two years ago is holding a lemonade stand on Saturday, July 31 at Preservation Biscuit Company in Falls Church.

Michele Fleming, together with her family and supporters, will be raising funds and bringing attention to the cancer that her son Nathan Fleming, a student at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington, was diagnosed with in 2018 just after his 17th birthday.

The cancer, alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, is a highly aggressive soft-tissue cancer. Nathan died a week after his 18th birthday in September 2019.

Nathan's family is partnering with Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, a national organization named after the frontyard lemonade stand of 4-year-old Alexandra "Alex" Scott, who was fighting cancer and wanted to raise money to find cures for all children with cancer. Since Alex died at the age of 8, the foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement.

Fleming is working to raise money for doctors at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center who are focusing on finding a cure for alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft tissue type of cancer that forms in muscle cells.

RELATED: Pediatric Cancer Fundraiser Held In Honor Of Arlington Teenager

The family also is preparing for a special virtual event in September, The Million Mile 2021, which is the biggest pediatric cancer awareness event of the year. Participants in the month-long event can walk, run and cycle to raise money that funds research to find better treatments and more cures for children battling cancer. The Million Mile 2021 campaign runs from Sept. 1 to Sept. 30.

Established in Nathan's honor, Nathan's Cancer Slayers will be raising money for the doctors at the Georgetown Lombardi cancer center focusing on finding a cure for rhabdomyosarcoma.

On Saturday, Preservation Biscuit Company will be hosting Nathan's Lemonade Stand from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Preservation Biscuit Company is located at 102 E. Fairfax Street in Falls Church.

The public can make donations on Nathan's team website and can learn more about Nathan on his Childhood Cancer Heroes page.