Mom and Daughter Beat Rare Cancer Thanks to Clinical Trial

When Edie Gilger was just six months old, doctors diagnosed her with neuroblastoma and gave her family a treatment plan that stretched nearly two years. But after chemotherapy and surgeries, they ran out of options.

Then a clinical trial appeared. Dr. Yael Mosse at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia offered an experimental drug, partially funded by Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. Emily Gilger remembers the moment vividly: a white bottle with black Sharpie scrawl, just a number and her daughter's name.

After 30 days on the medication, Edie's cancer disappeared. She continued the drug for three more years as part of the trial and remained cancer free.

Then something almost impossible happened. While Edie was still in treatment, Emily started experiencing severe back pain. She initially dismissed it as pregnancy discomfort, but doctors diagnosed her with neuroblastoma too.

Neuroblastoma strikes adults just once in 10 million cases annually, according to the National Institutes of Health. The cancer typically affects children, not grown women. Emily gave birth to her son at 28 weeks and started the same clinical trial treatment five days later.

Both mother and daughter responded beautifully. Dr. Mosse calls their results "a home run." Today, both remain cancer free.

Edie is now 17 and preparing for her junior year of high school. She plays tennis on her school team and spends summer days on the lake with friends. Life looks remarkably normal for someone who faced death before her first birthday.

Sunny's Take

The Gilgers credit Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for their survival. What started as a little girl's lemonade stand to help other kids with cancer has grown into a major research funder. The foundation's support helped turn an experimental drug into a life-saving treatment.

Emily knows exactly what that funding means in real terms. "We realize that without their hard work, we possibly wouldn't be here today," she says. Every dollar donated, every cup of lemonade sold, helped write a different ending to their story.

The clinical trial that saved two lives continues helping other families facing the same terrifying diagnosis.