Inspired by her Mom, Lila is Baking Up a Cure!
Lila Smethurst has an impressive resume: business owner, award-winning baker, television personality, cancer research advocate. The list goes on, but perhaps the most notable: she’s juggling all of this while navigating life in seventh grade.
As the Season 12 “Kids Baking Championship” winner, 12-year-old Lila has had a whirlwind of new opportunities, including media appearances, a booming local business (Lila’s Butterbomb Bakery), and a public platform to share her passions – both baking and philanthropy. Through each new experience, she always has someone special rooting for her behind the scenes: her mom, Jill.
“She’s really the glue that keeps everything together. I couldn’t do any of this without her,” said Lila. “She was there with me when I was filming the show and was the motivational voice for me.”
Whether it’s helping Lila re-imagine a baking project that isn’t quite coming together, managing customer orders for the business, or just getting her to school on time, Jill is the unsung hero who stays calm and forward-thinking at every step. While this positive mindset has come in handy throughout Lila’s baking journey, it’s nothing new for Jill, a breast cancer thriver, who has modeled a “Don’t Ever Give Up!” spirit to her daughters, Lila and Cora, their entire lives.
Lila recalls Jill sharing the news of her cancer diagnosis with her at just seven years old, but it was not the first time she had heard the word ‘cancer’ in her young life. A preschool classmate had battled brain cancer just a few years prior, so it was a scary experience to hear those words again, now within her own family.
With Jill’s perseverance and unshakeable faith, she assured her daughters she would overcome this diagnosis and they would all be stronger on the other side. With a remarkable medical team on her side, along with advanced treatment options (a result of breakthrough research!), she is now officially cancer-free.
The Smethurst Family
During Jill’s recovery, Lila used that time at home with her family to practice her baking skills, where the idea of auditioning for “Kids Baking Championship” came to fruition. Not only did she land a spot on the show, she won the entire season. While the family was thrilled to see her crowned the “champion,” the true win came in the meaningful friendships she made and the once-in-a-lifetime experience she gained.
“Lila is really good at goal-setting,” said Jill. “So I love to hear that she picked up on that during such a stressful time. She heard me say, ‘This is the goal. We’re not going to let cancer beat us. We’re going to do whatever it takes and move on.’ And she has adopted that theory in her life.”
Inspired by her mom’s cancer journey, Lila wanted to use her new public platform as a chance to do something positive for other families facing this disease. From there, came a special partnership with the V Foundation: Lila’s Baking Up a Cure Sweepstakes.
“When I found out that Jim Valvano specifically started a cancer research organization, it was literally perfect,” said Lila. “When I would have hard days on the show, at night, we’d be in the hotel room and my dad would send me little clips of Jim Valvano’s motivational speeches.”
After the final episode aired, Lila and her family announced the raffle, an opportunity for aspiring bakers to join Lila in San Antonio, Texas, for a 2-3 hour baking experience in a commercial kitchen. The winner will work hands-on with Lila to bake one of her specialty treats and learn tips and tricks that have made her a star baker. Each entry is $25, and all tickets directly benefit the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Nearly 100 entries have already been purchased and tickets will be available until May 16, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
“It’s amazing what research can do,” said Jill. “And it will be even more amazing when we find a cure.”
With all the excitement from the last year, Lila knows that this upcoming Mother’s Day is particularly special as she honors Jill and everything she’s done to support her along the way.
“I’m just so thankful to my mom,” said Lila. “For all the little things and all the big things. For being there to help me navigate everything. Aside from all the baking, she also gives me life lessons in general. I couldn’t do it without her.”
To learn more and enter Lila’s Baking Up a Cure Sweepstakes, click here.