Boy, 7, organizes lemonade stand to help mom beat cancer
TIGARD, Ore. -- Luke Engelman is just 7 years old, but he's taking charge to help his mother beat cancer in the best way kids know how: a lemonade stand.
"It's a kind of cancer that's not easy to get rid of," Luke told local TV station KOIN in Oregon of his mom's diagnosis. "It's not that powerful but not easy to get rid of."
Lisa Engelman, a mother of four, has non-Hodgkins lymphoma. It's a cancer that affects the immune system throughout the body. One of her doctors told her that she was the youngest person they had treated with her type of cancer, her sister, Lynteete Campos, wrote on their Facebook page
After undergoing unsuccessful chemotherapy, the family is pursuing treatments in Mexico, Campos explained on their fundraising page.
"This option would mean going for the cure instead of just hoping for suppression," she wrote.
So young Luke organized a fundraiser to help his mom get there. He passed out fliers and went door-to-door handing them out. He even created a homemade organic lemonade recipe, his mom wrote on her blog. He said he knew he wanted to do it as soon as he got the idea.
"It just came to my head," he said. "It's just like, aw, lets do this."
The family planned two days, August 17 and August 22. The first day was a success, raising $3,903 and bringing out a crowd that included the local fire department, Campos wrote on Facebook.
"My family and I are all blown away by the support we feel from so many kind hearted people around the world," she wrote. "You can bet there is one tired but happy little boy that will sleep very well tonight after raising nearly $4,000 for his Momma."
Through it all, Luke keeps his mind on the goal: helping his mom feel better.
"My momma has cancer and now she's really sick," he said, "and we have to get rid of it."
