COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) - Pins Mechanical Co. with locations across Ohio is raising money in honor of a Sunbury teen who died from cancer last year.
Pins is selling a special beer called "Ally's Bee Beary Strawberry Blonde Ale" that was brewed for Ally Anderson. Ally was 11 when she was diagnosed with Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS), a rare and aggressive type of soft tissue cancer. After putting up a brave fight for five years, Ally died in November. She was 16 years old.
Now to keep her memory and legacy alive, Pins is selling her special ale with $1 from each beer sold going to Ally's ARMS research fund through the Arms Wide Open Childhood Cancer Foundation. The ale was crafted by Biker BrewHouse, a brewery out of Youngstown.
Patty Anderson, Ally's mother, said the name behind the beer comes from Ally's favorite stuffed bear that she carried with her everywhere since she was 18 months old.
"The bear itself had a zipper and on the zipper pull was a bee, so we ended up naming the bear 'Bee Bear,'" said Patty. "This bear went everywhere with Ally until she passed away. Bee Bear was cremated with Ally, so he even went with her.”
While Ally was fighting her own battle, she was still advocating for children who were battling cancer, even in her sickest moments. Ally was a spokesperson for CureFest in Washington D.C., which is held during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September. She was also an advocate for Shave for a Cure.
“When you looked at her, you didn’t realize what was going on on the inside," said Patty. "Even four months before she passed, she went through another major surgery and still was giving everyone hope.”
Ally's Bee Beary Strawberry Blonde Ale is now on tap at Pins locations in Downtown Columbus, Easton, Dublin and Cleveland. Biker Brewhouse is also donating 2% of their proceeds from Ally’s Bee Beary ale as well.
"Ally became our force to continue her legacy and to be her voice," said Patty. "I promised her the last week that she was here that I would carry on her voice, and I would keep fighting for her and for all the other kids."
For more information on Ally's ARMS Research Fund or to make a donation, click here.
