A mom in Maine got creative when her son's medical bills started piling up from a rare tumor, taking her love of baking to a whole new level by building her own bakery in her front yard.
Kalee Weatherwax has documented her journey online for her over 12,000 followers, sharing videos of her small pink bake stand and the new treats she sells each week.
Weatherwax has cared for her sick child since he was an infant when she noticed an unusual bruise on his leg.
Her son Alec, 7, was then diagnosed with an extremely rare and aggressive tumor called Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE).
The tumor forms from an abnormal growth of blood vessels and can spread through the veins.
If left untreated, the cancerous veins can strangle muscles. Weatherwax told Inside Edition last month that when her son was first diagnosed, the veins were going toward Alec's heart.
Alec has taken oral chemotherapy medication twice a day since he was an infant to manage the symptoms, but he now has a weakened immune system and often misses school, Weatherwax said.
The treatment is so rare that it costs $2,000 a box and has become a major expense for the family.
Kalee Weatherwax started selling baked goods in her front yard to help pay for her son Alec's rare treatment. The two are pictured together above. Picture source: Kalee Weatherwax/Facebook
Weatherwax sells baked goods from her charming pink stand in her front yard every weekend, with the help of her three sons. Picture source: Kalee Weatherwax/Facebook
Alec was diagnosed with an extremely rare and aggressive tumor called Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE). Picture source: Kalee Weatherwax/Facebook
After Alec was diagnosed, Weatherwax was confronted with returning to work from maternity leave to help pay for his medication, or staying home to better care for him.
She loved baking, and friends frequently asked if they could buy her goods, which sparked the idea for the makeshift bakery.
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'Time has been a thief, and we haven't gotten all of those normal experiences that a lot of other people have, and I'm grateful for every experience I get with my child, no matter what,' Weatherwax told the Kennebec Journal.
'But to me, I'm just like: how could I steal that time back? And that's kind of why I wanted to start a home business.'
For years, Weatherwax and her three sons have operated the pink baking stand in their front yard and sold their treats to the community on the weekends.
She shares videos of herself making the baked goods and lets the community know what will be on the menu ahead of each weekend.
A few weeks ago, Weatherwax sold sourdough bread, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, banana chocolate chip muffins, chocolate chip cookies and apple crumb coffee cake.
The stand was closed last weekend for Halloween, but Weatherwax put out free self-serve coffee and juice for the community to fill up while trick-or-treating.
Weatherwax and her family sell baked goods every weekend from their front yard. Picture source: Kalee Weatherwax/Facebook
Weatherwax came up with the idea after her son's diagnosis, when she was trying to figure out whether to go back to work and how to cope with the additional expense. Picture source: Kalee Weatherwax/Facebook
'Thank you all so much for an amazing season and we'll be back to baking next week with a few holiday additions,' Weatherwax wrote on Facebook.
The Maine mom said the stand has not only helped them afford their son's treatment, but it has given Alec a chance to engage in the community as an immunocompromised child.
Weatherwax told the Kennebec Journal that the chemotherapy has helped manage Alec's symptoms, and they hope an ultrasound scheduled for next month will show positive results so he can reduce his treatment dose.
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