[ti:Girl Sells Lemonade to Raise Money for Brain Operation]
[by:www.21voa.com]
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[00:00.04]Liza Scott is a seven-year-old girl in the southern U.S. state of Alabama.
[00:07.60]Like many young girls, she became interested in earning money.
[00:12.96]So, she created a small table
[00:16.24]where she sells a cold drink made from lemon juice, water and sugar.
[00:22.56]This is called a lemonade stand.
[00:25.88]The stand is at her mother's bakery,
[00:29.32]a business that sells baked goods like bread.
[00:34.24]Her mother, Elizabeth Scott, runs Savage's Bakery,
[00:39.80]near the city of Birmingham.
[00:43.12]At first, the lemonade stand was something to do for fun.
[00:48.72]Liza sold the drinks for 25 cents a glass.
[00:53.88]She was going to use the money to buy toys and pretty shoes.
[01:00.56]But then the stand became much more important.
[01:06.28]Liza has a health problem that will require surgery.
[01:11.20]She suffers from seizures because
[01:15.08]part of her brain did not grow correctly.
[01:19.32]Doctors in Boston will work to fix the problem during several visits.
[01:26.72]Elizabeth Scott said she has good health insurance,
[01:31.28]which will help pay for some of the treatment.
[01:35.04]But the trips to Boston will be costly
[01:38.36]and the insurance will not pay for them.
[01:42.08]Now, instead of just being a way to raise money for fun things,
[01:47.92]the money from the lemonade stand will help pay for the treatment.
[01:54.44]Selling cold drinks for less than a dollar
[01:58.52]will not actually raise much money.
[02:02.04]So instead, the stand is a place where people can visit
[02:07.32]to give money that will help Liza with her medical treatment.
[02:12.76]So far, people have come to the bakery to buy lemonade
[02:17.96]and given Liza some extra money, too.
[02:22.08]"I've got a $20 bill, and a $50 bill and a $10 bill
[02:27.56]and a $5 bill and a $100 bill," Liza said, counting donations.
[02:34.88]So far, people have given over $12,000.
[02:40.48]But Elizabeth Scott also created an internet fundraiser
[02:45.68]where people from anywhere can donate money to Liza.
[02:50.36]It has gathered over $300,000 so far.
[02:56.48]"I can't fund that by myself," Elizabeth said
[03:00.32]about the extra medical costs for her daughter.
[03:04.04]She called the costs "pretty exorbitant."
[03:08.88]Critics of the U.S. healthcare system
[03:12.52]say they do not think a child who needs a brain operation
[03:17.40]should have to raise money to fund her own care.
[03:22.44]Liza said she thinks running the lemonade stand
[03:25.96]makes her feel like she is helping.
[03:29.36]"It's better than just begging," she said.
[03:33.52]The family did not find out about Liza's problem until late January.
[03:39.92]She had a seizure that lasted 45 minutes, her mother said.
[03:46.12]If Liza's brain problem is not treated,
[03:49.80]doctors say she could suffer a more serious brain injury, like a stroke.
[03:56.48]Liza's first surgery will be on March 8,
[03:59.68]but she could need additional visits for another 25 years.
[04:05.60]Liza said she tries not to think too much about her brain problem.
[04:13.16]"I'm not worried, but I'm afraid," she said.
[04:17.88]I'm Dan Friedell. 更多听力请访问21VOA.COM