Boy sets up lemonade stand to raise money for a date with mom after dad dies of colon cancer
Before Brandon Campbell died of colon cancer, he shared a special project with his young son, Brady.
Together, they built a lemonade stand so that Brady, 6, of Denver, Colorado, could raise some money to take his mother on a date and hopefully cheer her up.
"I didn't have enough money and I wanted to pay," Brady told Fox affiliate KDVR-TV.
Brandon Campbell died on July 7 after battling stage 4 colon cancer. He was 37 years old.
"He was funny. He was nice, kind, smart," Brady told KDVR-TV about his father.
The next day, Brady opened up his lemonade stand for business. Friends and neighbors gathered to support him as well as first responders who'd been notified of the lemonade stand by a Denver police officer.
Firefighters from Denver's Tower 27 even showed up, letting Brady get behind the wheel of their fire truck to blast the sirens and even hitch a ride in their rescue bucket.
By the end of the day, Brady had raised $244 — more than enough to take his mother, Amanda Campbell, on that date.
"Brady's a very sweet soul," Amanda Campbell said. "He's always looking out for everybody else. ... He really learned that from his dad. ... I know Brandon would be very, very proud."
She said that the two had appreciated the support and turnout that day.
"It really lifted our spirits and made Brady, you know, so happy," she told KDVR-TV.
A friend later started a GoFundMe page as a so-called "virtual" lemonade stand.
"We will use a small portion of the funds raised for Brady and Amanda to continue having adventures (and dates) together. We will use the rest to honor the Palliative Care Team and Cancer Center at University of Colorado Anschutz. Even in Brandon's darkest days fighting cancer, he still believed in honoring the people who serve as cheerleaders and advocates for those struggling," a post on the page said.
As of Tuesday, the page had raised more than $38,000. And, planning for that mom-and-son date is currently in the works.
