5th annual gala held for Aubreigh’s Army Foundation 328
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A local organization is raising awareness for DIPG- a fatal pediatric brain tumor.
Aubreigh’s Army was launched by Jay and Brooke Nicholas after they lost their daughter, Aubreigh, to DIPG in 2018.
On Saturday, they hosted the 5th annual LemonFface Gala at the University of South Alabama.
When Aubreigh was battling cancer, she started the “lemon face” challenge. It became her symbol of bringing awareness to DIPG.
Aubreigh would ask people to eat a slice of lemon and record their reaction. She even got Alabama football coach Nick Saban on board.
Saturday would have been Aubreigh’s 16th birthday, so Aubreigh’s dream car, a 2023 Jeep, was raffled off in her honor.
Aubreigh’s parents say it is a bittersweet day, and that they’ll never stop fighting for the advancement of treating DIPG.
The money raised at the gala is furthering that mission.
“We pull our money together- you have to think- the research, helping families, we’ve had several families reach out to us, they’ve been going through the same thing, it’s hard to make ends meet. Unfortunately, when a child passes, they’re not ready, they’re not prepared,” said Jay Nichols, Aubreigh’s father.
“I think if you’re here tonight, you’re part of the army,” he added. “This isn’t going to happen with one person, two people- it’s a group effort and I think that’s the most important thing. Even if you weren’t here, and you donated to the Jeep ticket- all of that stuff is a step in the puzzle of putting that together.”
Click here to learn more about Aubreigh’s Army.
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