An Alabama 7-year-old is raising money to help fund her own brain surgery by selling lemonade.
Doctors determined last month that Liza Scott suffered a series of seizures caused by cerebral malformations needed to be repaired via surgery, the Boston Globe reports.
Liza, who had previously set up a lemonade stand at her mother, Elizabeth Scott's, bakery last summer, was eager to help raise money for her upcoming operation, which will take place at Boston Children's Hospital.
The 7-year-old's lemonade stand includes bright pink and yellow wooden crates near the cash register of Savage's Bakery in suburban Birmingham and offers lemonade for a quarter, as well as other items. However, generous donors are leaving more money as they become aware of her medical condition and can-do attitude.
“I’ve got a $20 bill, and a $50 bill and a $10 bill and a $5 bill and a $100 bill,” Liza told the Globe Tuesday (March 2) as she counted donations from the morning.
Liza was hospitalized following two major seizures when she had the idea to help her mother raise money for the surgical procedure.
“I told her, ‘You don’t have to do that,’” said Elizabeth Scott, who also has a son in preschool. “There’s no expectation of her doing anything to help pay the bills. I’m a single mom, I take care of my kids on my own."
But Liza was determined to help and has already raised more than $12,000 in just a few days, with most of the money coming through donations.
While the story has touched many, some are outraged over the fact that the family faces "pretty exorbitant" expenses for young girl to have the surgery because of the U.S. health system, which led to Elizabeth setting up her own online fundraiser, according to the Globe.
“Just one week in the hospital and the ambulance rides is more than my monthly salary, and that’s without the surgery and travel expenses," Elizabeth said. "I can’t fund that by myself, and we have a business to support.”
Fortunately, the family has received more than $300,000 in donations to help fund Liza's surgery, with the family set to fly to Boston on Thursday (March 4.)
You can read more about Liza's story here.
Photo: Getty Images