Made with love and fighting cancer

A six-year-old Biddeford girl is selling a very special flavor of lemonade that will quench your thirst and help families struggling with childhood cancer

By RANDY SEAVER | Editor

Made with love and served up fresh, the lemonade being sold by six-year-old Madison Charland does a lot more than quench your thirst on a hot summer day.

Madison spent the first three years of her life battling leukemia, and now – cancer free for three years – she is hoping to help other families that are dealing with various forms of childhood cancer by selling lemonade from a stand located in the center of Biddeford’s Cathedral Oaks neighborhood.

**MADISON’S LEMONADE STAND** is a popular destination for neighborhood kids on a hot summer day | *Seaver photo*

. . .

“She was first diagnosed when she was just 10 months old,” recalls Sherri Charland, Madison’s mother.

As part of an intense treatment protocol, Madison underwent a little more than two years of chemotherapy that began before she was able to speak.

“It was pretty intense, and we were basically living in the hospital almost in constant fear,” Sherri said. “It was pretty awful. You just never know where lightning is going to strike.”

Today, Madison is healthy and full of energy and enthusiasm with a wide smile that could light up almost any room.

When asked why she is spending so much of her summer vacation selling lemonade and donating all the proceeds, Madison’s grin grows wide.

“I want to help all the people who helped me,” she beams.

**MADISON CHARLAND** says there is no set price for her lemonade — “just whatever you want to donate.” *Seaver photo*

Sherri Charland said Madison is hoping to raise $1,000 this summer, and all of the proceeds will be split evenly between the Maine Children’s Cancer Program and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, two non-profits that played a big part in Madison’s recovery.

So far, Madison is a little more than halfway to her fundraising goal. Over the course of just a few days, her lemonade stand has raised a little more than $500.

“It was her idea,” Sherri said of her daughter’s desire to start a lemonade stand. “We were talking about the importance of giving back to others, and she just embraced the concept.”

Madison’s lemonade stand is much more than just a folding table and some chairs.

Madison’s uncle – Jeremy Moreau of Saco – said it took him about a week to build the stand, which features a sales counter, chalkboard signage and bright pink and yellow stripes.

**DRIVE-THRU SERVICE** — James Poulin of Biddeford takes advantage of the drive-thru service offered by Madison’s bustling lemonade stand. | *Seaver photo*

. . .

Moreau said he is proud of his niece’s commitment but also points out that donated blood and platelets are what saved Madison’s life.

“She would not have survived without those platelets, and they are in such short supply,” Moreau said.

Moreau today coordinates blood drives to help boost the supply of critical and life-saving platelets, including an annual drive at the Scarborough Fire Department.

Madison’s grandmother – Susan Moreau of Biddeford — is also part of the fundraising effort and said she is more than proud of her granddaughter.

“We didn’t know what was going to happen; she was just so young,” Moreau said. “It’s unimaginable, but you could never tell that she was sick. She was always positive and smiling.”

When asked how she makes her lemonade, Madison smiles and points a finger at her grandmother who reportedly provided her granddaughter with the family-secret recipe for making lemonade.

“It’s made with love,” she smiled.

For more information or to donate to the Maine Children’s Cancer Program, please visit maine-childrens-cancer-program

For more information or to donate to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, please visit https://worldwish.org/

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