A four-year-old Ajax boy who set up a lemonade stand to raise money for the hospital helping him fight cancer was surprised by a convoy of fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars.
Sam Cargill has been undergoing chemotherapy and radiation since March, when it was discovered that he had a tumour on his kidney.
The tumour, and his kidney, was removed, but doctors told his family that the young boy had Stage 4 cancer that had also spread to his lungs.
“He is incredibly strong, as a lot of kids are. They are stronger than we would be. He always has a smile, he’s a tough guy,” said Beth Sokolowski.
Sokolowski said that her son’s tough guy approach has earned him the nickname “Warrior Sam.”
On Sunday, Cargill and his family opened up a shop on the front lawn of his home, selling lemonade and baked goods in support of the Hospital for Sick Children.
What the four-year-old didn’t know was that first responders were marshalling to surprise him.
In a video posted to Facebook, Cargill can be seen covering his ears as a fire truck lead a procession of police vehicles and ambulances down his street, with their lights and sirens blaring.
“He was in heaven,” Sokolowski, told CTV News. “Just a huge grin on his face.”
An officer with the Durham Regional Police Service had found Cargill’s lemonade stand on social media and rallied his colleagues together to organize the convoy of emergency vehicles.
“It just came from the heart” Durham police spokesperson Dave Selby said. “I think this young guy really touched a lot of officers and they wanted to go and say hi and support him.”
While Cargill and his family try to help SickKids, other families are rallying to support the young boy’s treatment. A GoFundMe page has already raised more than half of the $50,000 goal to help the family pay for medical expenses related to the cancer treatment.
The lemonade stand raised more than $6,000 for SickKids. The Ajax family said they plan to do it again next year—with the hope that by that point, Cargill will be cancer free.
