Kylie Hass was just two years old when she was diagnosed with leukemia in 2012. Doctors told her parents Chris and Brooke that if the little girl didn’t have back surgery she may never walk again.

After two surgeries and 25 months of chemotherapy Kylie, now 6 years old, is in remission.

“She’s very healthy,” says Brooke. “We’re very lucky and we’re very thankful.”

While at McMaster Hospital in Hamilton, Kylie’s parents met Katie Star and her family. The two Cambridge families would often talk about the cancer treatment their daughters were receiving.

“It really can be an isolating feeling sometimes, being in the hospital while your children are sick,” says Brooke. “You really bond and make those connections with other parents. We didn’t get to spend an awful lot of time with them but we did get to have some meaningful conversations which will always stick with us.”

They have been closely following Katie’s cancer journey in the years since they first met.

Katie was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia four years ago. The Cambridge girl went through two years of chemotherapy, receiving her last dose in September 2012.

The cancer returned one year later and Katie started treatment again.

In March 2014 she underwent a stem cell transplant.

Thirteen months after that procedure, Katie parents received the devastating news that her cancer had returned.

The family then moved to Philadelphia where Katie was given an experimental therapy.

In July 2016 doctors told Katie’s family that her cancer had once again returned.

When Kylie heard the news, she came up with a plan.

“I wanted to have a lemonade stand for Katie so she could feel better.”

On Saturday Kylie set up a booth in Cambridge’s Central Park. At the end of the day she had collected $1,561.85 for Katie’s treatment.

“To just even pay for the treatment she requires is thousands and thousands,” says Brooke. “So to help donate and support in any way possible will surely alleviate some of the stress of the family.”

She says she’s very proud of her daughter.

“It’s a wonderful feeling when your daughter wants to do something so meaningful for someone else.”

With files from Carina Sledz