Losing a parent young is a heartbreak no child should ever have to endure. And yet that's exactly the anguish that 6-year-old Brady Campbell has been living through after losing his dad to Stage 4 colon cancer on July 7. But as heartbroken as the little boy is, he's been showing nearly everyone who knows him a quiet strength and maturity well beyond his years.
Just one day after his father, Brandon, passed away, Brady set up a lemonade stand outside his Denver, Colorado, home.
His mission was simple: He wanted to earn enough money to take his mom out on a date, so she could cheer up.
"I think he kind of came up with it himself," his mom, Amanda, told CNN. "[He's] so very sweet."
But to hear Brady tell it, he actually came up with the idea weeks prior, when talking with his dad. In fact, they even made the signs together.
"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," he told KDVR this week.
And oh, did he. The lemonade stand was such a success, little Brady took home $244 by the end of the day.
(I'd say that's enough for one pretty memorable date!)
Brady's mom was rather impressed by his efforts, telling CNN: "My husband would be proud because he was a very successful businessman, so I'm sure he would have loved that."
The secret to his success? Good old-fashioned word of mouth advertising.
News of the soon-to-be first-grader's lemonade stand spread fairly quickly, as friends and family swung by to buy a glass or two for themselves. But things really picked up steam when a police officer stopped by — and then put out a radio call that let other first responders know about the operation.
Before he knew it, little Brady was was handing out glasses of lemonade left and right.
"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," his mom shared.
And that's not all: A neighbor set up a "virtual lemonade stand" on GoFundMe last month, to raise more money for the family and donations to cancer research. So far, Brady's virtual stand has raised more than $50,000, which will be going to the Brandon Campbell Memorial Fund at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, as well as Colontown, an online community for colorectal patients, survivors, and their caregivers.
As for what Brady plans to do with the money he raised for the date, his mom Amanda says he's been "scheming" with friends.
In fact, he told her plans to take her out "every week," just to lift her spirits.
"He's been tough and he's been more concerned about me," Amanda shared, adding that although Brady certainly misses his dad more than anything, he's been incredibly resilient considering all that he's going through.
At just 6 years old, Brady has been able to see past his grief and on to the silver lining: His dad, who was once a marathon runner who'd wake up for a run as early as 4 a.m., is now out of pain.
"He just says 'I'm glad he doesn't have cancer any more," his mom shared. "'I'm glad he doesn't have pain.'" Ultimately, that thought has brought the little boy some peace.
As the GoFundMe page states, this has been "the ultimate 'life gives you lemons' story from a child who has suffered an incredible loss."
I honestly couldn't think of a better way to put it myself.
