Nine-year-old Angel Reyes of Las Cruces, New Mexico, originally thought that if he could raise $100 dollars with a lemonade stand during his spring break, he could do at least a little to help pay for his grandfather’s cancer care bills. His mother helped set up a GoFundMe page and has been working at this for a couple of months. His grandfather Richard Sanchez has third stage rectal and colon cancer and recently had a nine-inch tumor removed. He will now (most likely) need chemotherapy and help in his road to recovery.
"I understand my grandpa has cancer," Reyes said. "I talked to my mom and before Christmas we figured it out. I wanted to make money for him, a hundred, maybe $120, selling lemonade and Popsicles."
This past week, things began to take off as more and more people began to notice.
This afternoon Angel got a big surprise when members of local law enforcement agencies, along with people who had been inspired by Angel’s mission, showed up at his stand.
"It really touched my heart and I decided to come out here and support him and what he's doing for his grandfather. It really touched my heart,” Mamie Lopez said.
Of the people that came, most didn’t even ask for the lemonade, just the chance to donate to a good cause. Angel’s grandfather is a proud man, but he knows how much his family loves him.
Recently, Angel and his mom went to see the boy's uncle, who helped them build a lemonade stand that very much resembles the "psychiatry" stand in the comic strip "Peanuts." It's painted red and yellow and the signs in front read "Angel's Lemonade," and "Grandpa Cancer Fund."
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"We sent pictures of the stand to my dad, through my (cell) phone," Chasity Sanchez said. "He got emotional when he saw them."
So far, Reyes’ lemonade stand and GoFundMe page have raised over $1,000 in hand and over $7,000 online. I’m guessing Paul Ryan and Jason Chaffetz would consider this a viable healthcare plan.