Giving Back and Getting Back

Local teen’s creative fundraising program continues to grow

Peachtree Corners teen, Lex Stolle, was ten years old and just starting fifth grade when he was diagnosed with high-risk, acute lymphoblastic leukemia. After the diagnosis, he underwent an initial round of chemotherapy to put the disease into remission, followed by 10 months of intense treatments and another two-and-a-half years of monthly maintenance and nightly medicine to keep it there.

The treatments were hard on his body, limiting his ability to attend school and participate in his usual activities. But his spirit and determination stayed strong. A close-knit family, loving friends and excellent care from the Aflac Center and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta supported him every step of the way. And his own optimistic personality kept him going through even the most difficult moments.

“I claim I’ll live just like my blood type and ‘B positive,’” Lex said of his personal motto. “I value determination, optimism and a deep belief in the bigger plan for my life.”

Now, at 15-years-old, Lex says he’s doing better than ever and is committed to using his experience to help others. One way he’s doing that is through his nonprofit fundraising program, Cancer Card.

A fundraiser that gives back and gets back

A simple but clever idea, Cancer Cards are discount cards connected to restaurants within the community. The participating businesses agree to be part of the program, offering a discount for card users. People buy the cards, which raises money for cancer treatments and research, and then they use the cards to save money when going out to eat — driving business to the local restaurants. It’s a win-win-win for everyone.

The idea for the program came to Lex in 2022.

“As a kid going through childhood cancer, I met a lot of other kids on the same journey as me,” said Lex. “Fortunately, so many of the friends that I made are now healthy and successfully in college or participating in sports in high school. However, I did have some friends that were not able to finish their journey. It made me so upset that a child could never get married, never go to college, never get a job and have kids. I knew we needed a solution to this. I’m not someone that likes just asking for money, so I brainstormed a way for everybody to benefit.”

Continued growth

He initially started out with a focus on Peachtree Corners businesses, selling the discount cards to his own friends and family. The fundraiser quickly grew beyond his immediate circle though, becoming an official nonprofit in 2023.

Since then, the program has grown even larger. This year, the fundraiser offers cards for  five communities: Peachtree Corners, Dunwoody, Milton/Alpharetta, Marietta and Athens, with plans to expand beyond that as more and more people learn about the program.

“In the first year, we raised a couple hundred dollars,” Lex shared. “Then last year, we brought in over $8,000, and we are projecting a much higher number this year!”

Ongoing challenges

Though the Cancer Card program has been a success so far, Lex shared that it’s a lot harder to get businesses to sign up than people might think.

“Last year, I reached out to over 340 businesses and went in person for many, yet got responses from less than 10%,” he said. “It’s especially hard to get corporations and chained restaurants.”

As far as getting people to purchase the cards, he said “it’s just about enlightening them of the benefit of it. So many people don’t understand that the card will quite literally save you money over the course of the year. As residents, we all eat at these places anyway, so why not get 10 or 15% off every single time you go?”

He continued, “There’s a common saying that goes, ‘there’s no such thing as a selfless act,’ and while I agree that it can be hard to not think about ourselves 100% of the time, when we do help out others, it carries love to our community that we all so desperately need right now. If we all tried to hold the door for one person a day or pick up a water bottle off the sidewalk, Peachtree Corners would become a much happier, safer and cleaner environment for us all.”

Looking forward

With an admitted passion for finding solutions to problems that are close to his heart, Lex shared that he enjoys speaking publicly for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. He hosts his own monthly radio show on WSB Radio called 95.5 WSB Presents: The Children of Children’s. And he likes keeping up with the latest politics.

“While those aren’t typical hobbies for a 15-year-old,” he said, “I wouldn’t change it for the world. Every day I look forward to seeing how many Cancer Cards I sold the day before or checking on the status of legislation to benefit Americans going through cancer diagnoses.”

Looking to the future, this tenth grader at William and Reed Academy has big plans — for himself and for the Cancer Card program.

“It’s not a usual dream job for a sophomore, but I would love to become a federal politician or potentially a lobbyist — for good of course,” he shared. “My hope is that I can stay true to my morals and fight for people with a story similar to mine. I would love to continue Cancer Cards into college, or better yet, find my next passion project that can have an even larger impact not just in Georgia, but all over the United States. I’m excited to see what’s in store for the future of Cancer Cards.”

The details

2024 Cancer Cards are on sale now and active through May 25, 2025. Each card is $25. All proceeds go to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta — the same place where Stolle received his treatment.

Cards can be purchased for Peachtree Corners, Milton/Alpharetta, Dunwoody, Athens and Marietta. The discounts associated with the cards can be used at participating restaurants more than once until the expiration date.

To purchase your cards (or make a tax-deductible donation), visit cancercard.net.