By Jack Marflak
If you happened to be on Elm Street in Kearny on Saturday, Sept. 19 you might have come across a lemonade stand between Oakwood and Quincy avenues. A smiling, blond-haired, 7-year-old Madison McCormick was behind the stand serving customers lemonade while her mother looked on.
Signs were posted with flavors and pricing, and business seemed to be brisk. Family, friends, and neighbors stopped by throughout the day.
But this wasn’t simply a way for a second-grader to earn a little spending money; Madison was raising money for a friend.
Madison’s friend, 6-year-old Ariella Morris, a first-grader at Queen of Peace Grammar School, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in February.
Madison, who also attends Queen of Peace Grammar School, is in many ways your typical 7-year-old girl. According to her mother, Christine McCormick, and father, Stephen McCormick, “Madison loves to do arts and crafts, creating anything with air-dry clay, and painting is her favorite, and she loves softball, going to new places, and taking day trips to New York City.”
When asked about her friend Ariella, Madison said that “Ariella is a brave and silly friend. I was nervous and scared for her when we found out about her diagnosis.”
Madison had so many questions when her friend was diagnosed, but more importantly, Madison wanted to know how she could help.
What Madison was trying to help her friend through had begun only months earlier with an unexpected diagnosis.
Ariella’s mother, Stephanie Morris, a pediatric oncology nurse, said that the most surprising part of Ariella’s story was that she didn’t really have any symptoms. Morris admitted she was being overly cautious when she asked for a full blood panel at Ariella’s annual physical, even though Ariella seemed completely healthy.
The full blood panel showed abnormalities that led to additional testing by an endocrinologist. The results confirmed Stage 2 type 1 diabetes, allowing Ariella to be diagnosed before she developed the symptoms typically associated with the disease.
“In a way, we were incredibly fortunate to catch it when we did,” Morris said. “We had the opportunity to learn about T1D, begin monitoring her closely, and prepare as a family before she became symptomatic or critically ill.”
When Ariella’s family learned that Madison planned to support her friend with a lemonade stand, they were touched by the 7-year-old’s desire to help. Seeing Madison turn her friend’s experience with Type 1 diabetes into an opportunity to raise money and awareness made the gesture especially meaningful.
Last summer, after seeing an ASPCA commercial, Madison asked her parents if she could have a lemonade stand and make a donation to the ASPCA and the Bergen County Animal Shelter.
This summer she already knew whom she wanted to help. Madison asked if she could donate to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and especially to Ariella’s T1D walk. She decided her lemonade stand would support her friend.
“Friends support friends, and no one should go through anything alone,” said Madison.
Madison had to make posters, purchase the ingredients for the lemonade, make cookies with her mom, hang the posters, and set up the stand with Dad. “We needed to prep everything to make sure everything was perfect,” said Madison. “I asked Mom and Dad to tell all their friends and spread the word on Facebook.”
Friends and neighbors came by to lend their support and encouragement. And they bought lemonade. Lots of lemonade.
Madison was able to donate $275 to Ariella’s Dream Team and her walk for Breakthrough T1D.
Everyone was so generous and impressed by Madison’s desire to help her friend. “Madison is an extraordinary little girl, with warmth and empathy any parent can only hope for in their child,” Christine McCormick said.
For Ariella and her family, that support comes as they continue to adjust to the realities of living with type 1 diabetes.
Since Ariella’s diagnosis, her family acknowledges that life requires more planning — monitoring blood sugar, counting carbohydrates, calculating insulin, and preparing for everything from school and sports to birthday parties and even a slice of her favorite food — pizza.
Despite the additional planning, Ariella’s family works to keep her life as normal as possible. She continues to go to school, play sports, spend time with friends, and enjoy the things she did before her diagnosis.
“Some days are harder than others, and there’s definitely been a learning curve for all of us,” Morris said, “particularly as Ariella’s insulin needs have changed.”
One of the biggest adjustments for the family has been the constant attention type 1 diabetes requires, day and night. Through it all, they say, Ariella has adapted remarkably well. “She’s learning to understand her body and becoming more involved in her own care, while we do everything we can to make sure she never feels limited by her diagnosis,” her mother said.
On Sunday, Nov. 8, Ariella will be walking in the Breakthrough T1D walk in Jersey City to raise money for research for type 1 diabetes (T1D).
And when Ariella walks with her Dream Team in November, she’ll know one of her biggest supporters is a 7-year-old friend who decided she wanted to help.
When asked what she learned from the experience, Madison said, “I learned that people can support people. All you have to do is ask. I am already making plans for next year and how to make it bigger and better to help more people.”