The Tribune

At seven years old, Alejandra Stack has gone from honour roll student and student of the month to a ray of hope when it comes to cancer awareness. Born in the Bahamas, which has one of the highest rates of cancer per capita, the youngster asked her mother to enter a fundraiser to bring about cancer awareness after a relative and family friend both lost their lives to the disease.

Alejandra entered the “In The Pink” pageant in Atlanta, Georgia. Proceeds from the pageant went towards the Susan G. Komen Foundation, a well known cancer support group which seeks a cure for disease. The pageant’s director Monica Daniels has been featured on TLC’s Toddlers & Tiaras, and has had stars such as Alana ‘Honey Boo Boo’ Thompson compete.

“She was very curious about cancer because she walked in on me crying over two losses in September,” says Allie’s mother, Caribbean-born Atlanta-based media personality Arthia Nixon.

“Both women were single moms and living in a single parent household. She asked me what would happen if I died of cancer because at school, she learned that cancer can run in the family. I lost an uncle in his 20’s to prostate cancer and cousins and aunts have died or been diagnosed. I also lost a friend at 17 to osteogenicscarcoma, which is bone marrow cancer, something she knows about first hand,” said Ms Nixon.

“One of her first coaches in gymnastics has a daughter who was diagnosed at Allie’s age, who is now in remission. Allie is preparing to compete as a gymnast and so she realised how hard it would be if she ended up being too sick to do something she loved or even lost a leg. She knows a someone who wanted to do gymnastics who is now a survivor and still just a kid,” she said.

The young survivor, Tenia Cash, walked with Alejandra during the In The Pink Cancer Awareness Pageant in Atlanta, Georgia last month.

“I pasted a picture of Tenia on my bag to show that kids have cancer too,” said Allie.

“Then I wrote the names of all the people who donated funds and the people who asked me to write the names of people they knew who had cancer and the ages of those who died. It was a lot of fun to be in the pageant and it wasn’t about beauty it was about a cause,” she said.

Allie was awarded the In The Pink Wear outfit of choice and named one of the little princesses. By raising over $500, she received a six foot trophy, crown and awards, recognising her as an In The Pink cancer awareness Court Queen.