Saskatoon girl's lemonade stand raises $40K for cystic fibrosis research

Cassidy Evans was only five years old when she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.

But she refused to let the diagnosis get her down, and instead decided to try to do something about it.

Five years after setting up a lemonade stand, the Saskatoon girl has raised $40,000 for research into the inherited genetic disorder.

"I was supportive and excited when she told me she wanted to have a lemonade stand when she was fivebut she was five!" said Cassidy's mother, Kimberly Evans. "So I wasn't sure where this was going to go."

"I'm very happy I got to raise that much money," said Cassidy, 10, sitting in her lemonade truckparked in her parents' driveway.

"I like when everyone's cheering me on and then I give them a glass of lemonade and then they're like" she opens her eyes and mouth wide, as if in shock. "It's that good," she said.

Lemons to lemonade

The Evans family had to adjust to Cassidy's diagnosis five years ago.

The disorder affects the lungs and digestive system, and though people are living longerwith cystic fibrosis, life expectancy is significantly lower than the average Canadian.

"Life felt really hard and dark when she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, and there were a lot of hard things," said Kimberly Evans.

"It's hard for her to be 10 and deal with the medical treatments she has to do every day, but this stand has been so positive that it really shows you can make lemonade from lemons."

Jokes aside, the recipe is serious business for Cassidy and her seven-year-old sister, Lucia, who helps squeeze the lemons.

"There are fresh squeezed lemons, fresh waterand then another secret ingredient that I can't say," Cassidy said.

"Not to anyone."

Moving on up

Cassidy's Lemonade Standhas grown as a brand since the Evans family started fundraising. It now has a truck, a logo anda social media following.

"Last year we bought it on Kijiji, and we thought it was so cute because it's an old ice cream truck," Cassidy said.

The truck was renovated by a friend, the work sponsored by a local business. Cassidy's supplies, too, such as water and lemons, are also mostly donated.

It's still a lot of work for a ten-year-old, and sometimes Cassidy gets tired if she pulls a few shifts in a row, but her enthusiasm is unending.

"I think it just comes from myself!" she said when asked about her energy.

She has only one complaint: Her father gets to drive the truck, something she won't be allowed to do until she gets her licence in six years.