A six-year-old boy has kept good on a promise to look after his mum following the death of his dad.
Brady Campbell's dad, Brandon, passed away on July 7 from colon cancer. Before the 37-year-old's death, however, Brady vowed that he would look after his mum, Amanda, when his dad was gone.
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As part of this promise, young Brady wanted to take his mourning mum out on a date.
The only problem: he had no money.
Determined that that wouldn't stop him, the child followed some advice his late father gave him and decided to open a lemonade stand.
Brady had been planning the lemonade stand for weeks and the father and son had even made the signs together, reports KDVR news.
"My dad and I came up with the idea of a lemonade stand to take my mom on a date because I didn't have enough money and I wanted to pay, so I did it," Brady told KDVR.
He opened the stand outside the family home in Denver, Colorado the day after his father's death, charging "25 cents or best offer".
His mum says seeing her son's determination was heartwarming.
"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," she said.
The popular lemonade stand didn't just attract friends and family, it also caught the attention of a local policeman, who alerted other first responders to the stand.
"We had fire trucks and police cars and tons of officers and firefighters and they let him spray the hose and took him up in the big tower and he just had a blast," Amanda said.
She said around 75 people turned up on the first day, with Brady raising $244.
Despite raising enough money to take his mum out for a fancy dinner, the date hasn't happened yet, though Brady hasn't forgotten about it.
"He's kind of scheming with a friend of ours, of what he wants to do," said Amanda. "He does want to take me out every week."
A neighbour has now launched a "virtual lemonade stand", setting up a Go Fund Me page to raise money for the family and to help support cancer research.
"We will use a small portion of the funds raised for Brady and Amanda to continue having adventures (and dates) together," the page said. "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."
The page, which describes Brandon as a "warrior, a husband, and a father", has so far raised more than US$47,000 (around NZ$72,000).
Newshub.
