New Jersey: He&rsquo;s battled multiple inoperable brain tumours for more than half of his life, but this inspiring 10-year-old from New Jersey has refused to let his own struggles with cancer overshadow his desire to help others overcome the disease.
<img title="Mario at one of his lemonade stalls " src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2014/jun/Mario.jpg" alt="Mario at one of his lemonade stalls " /> Mario at one of his lemonade stalls
Mario Carpino, whose cancerous tumours were first discovered when he was just 4 years old, has been hosting lemonade stands to raise funds for an organisation called Alex&rsquo;s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer for years.
According to Yahoo! Shine, he has raised some $150,000 for the charity thus far &mdash; and he&rsquo;s showing no signs of slowing down. A married couple from Connecticut launched the organisation in 2005, one year after their eight-year-old daughter, Alex Scott, passed away from neuroblastoma, a common infant cancer that accounts for seven per cent of all cancers in children.
During her short life, Alex hosted an annual lemonade stand (she raised $2,000 in one day for her first one) and donated the funds to cancer research. After Alex&rsquo;s death, her parents created a foundation to continue her efforts, and kids like Mario hold yearly lemonade stands in her honour.
Mario has exceeded his fundraising goals each year, a portion of which he earns at his annual lemonade stand, and the rest through online donations. He wanted to raise $5,000 when he held his first stand in 2011.
He ending up raising $25,134. In 2012, he raised $48,517, exceeding his goal of $25,000. In 2013, Mario set his goal at $50,000 and got $68,542. People can also donate to Mario&rsquo;s cause on his event page.
&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t look at it as... raising money for him and his disease,&rdquo; a family friend said. &ldquo;Every time we get together, he has a million ideas. He thinks of it as raising money for his friends at the [Children&rsquo;s Hospital of Philadelphia]. This is his way of contributing.&rdquo;
The Children&rsquo;s Hospital of Philadelphia, where Mario has reportedly received multiple chemotherapy, is one of the many beneficiaries of Alex&rsquo;s Lemonade Stand Foundation. &ldquo;He is always making others smile. He is truly a hero,&rdquo; his mother wrote in a 2012 blog post for Alex&rsquo;s Lemonade Stand Foundation.
This year, Mario&rsquo;s lemonade stand event will be held on Saturday, June 7, at the Woolwich Fire Department in Swedesboro, NJ. There will reportedly be face painting, clowns and a raffle for prizes. Mario has also expressed hope that his favourite band might show up to his lemonade stand this year.
&ldquo;Two years ago, he decided that he wanted his favourite singer, Jon Bon Jovi, to come to his lemonade stand,&rdquo; the boy&rsquo;s mom said. &ldquo;I told him it&rsquo;s unlikely because Bon Jovi is famous. He said, &lsquo;But Mom, he&rsquo;s so nice.&rsquo;&rdquo;
A Facebook page has been set up to attract the singer&rsquo;s attention. The family has a lot to be thankful for. They announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that his tumours were found to be stable, following an MRI.

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Mario Carpino, who has battled malignant tumours &nbsp;since he was four, is the champion fundraiser for Alex&rsquo;s Lemonade Stand Foundation, which raises awareness, and funds for paediatric cancer research

10-year-old boy with cancer raises USD 150,000 with lemonade stands

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Home / News / World News / Article / 10-year-old boy with cancer raises USD 150,000 with lemonade stands

10-year-old boy with cancer raises USD 150,000 with lemonade stands

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