More than earning some money for the summer, this 6-year-old boy from Denver, Colorado set up a lemonade stand to raise funds for a much greater purpose.
Brady Campbell might be smiling in the photo below, but behind that wide grin is a horrible family tragedy that happened just the day before this picture was taken – the death of his father.
On July 7, his dad Brandon Campbell passed away after six months of battling against colon cancer. But before that happened, Brady told his father that he would go through with the promise that he made to him.
“My dad and I came up with the idea of a lemonade stand to take my mom on a date. I didn’t have enough money and I wanted to pay, so I did it,” Brady told KDVR.
According to Brady’s mother Amanda Campbell, the day after Brandon’s death, the young boy insisted on setting up the lemonade stand which he and his dad had been planning for weeks.
“It just never really happened because it was raining or Brandon was feeling too sick,” Amanda said.
With the aid of the sign that his dad made, Brady officially started selling the refreshing beverage. Amanda said that he charged just 25 cents or “best offer” for a cup.
Brady’s friends, family, and neighbors flocked to the stand to support him. That’s when one Denver police officer spotted the crowd and checked to see what was going on. He then put in a radio call to other first responders who came to visit the stand.
Amanda said that about 75 people came by the stand that day.
“It was amazing. You could just feel the warmth and energy and such a positive thing in such a tragic time for us. It really lifted our spirits and really made Brady so happy. Brandon was a savvy businessman and wanted to teach Brady all those lessons, and I could just [see] it happening. It made my heart really happy,” Amanda said.
It was a good first day of business as Brady ended up making $244.
A kind neighbor also stepped in and organized a “virtual lemonade stand” for Brady that aims to raise money for the Campbells and cancer research through GoFundMe .
A small portion of the funds collected will be used for their mother-and-son dates, while the rest will go to Brandon Campbell Memorial Fund at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Colontown, an online community for colorectal patients, survivors, and caregivers.
Amanda says that Brady will be starting first grade soon and though he misses his dad, he’s been very resilient and is more concerned about her.
“He just says ‘I’m glad he doesn’t have cancer any more. I’m glad he doesn’t have pain,'” she said.
Amanda hopes that their story will raise awareness and will encourage other people to get tested for colon cancer.
What Brady did to honor his dad was an incredible act of courage, especially for such a young boy his age. Though he was in grief, he managed to set it aside to keep the promise he made to his father and to make his mom feel better in a way that he knew how.
You may still donate to Brady’s virtual lemonade stand here.
To know more about this touching story, watch the video below: