By James Eng, msnbc.com
Drew Cox knows how to make lemonade out of lemons – and then some.
The 6-year-old Gladewater, Texas, boy reportedly took in more than $10,000 in one day at a lemonade stand he set up to raise money for his sick dad.
Randy Cox was diagnosed with seminoma earlier this year, according to KLTV. That’s typically a type of testicular cancer, but in Cox’s case it’s non-testicular and tumors appeared in his chest and elsewhere in his body, colleagues say. The condition is treatable with chemotherapy.
Drew said he felt sad and wanted to help his father with medical bills.
“He is so important to me. We like to play with each other. Lots of times we like to play games," Drew told KLTV.
Randy Cox says he has medical insurance but still will have to pay thousands of dollars in medical costs out of pocket.
“You know it almost made me cry. It's nice knowing that my kids care so much for me," Randy said of his son’s business venture.
Drew opened his stand for business outside his home on Saturday morning, charging 25 cents a cup. Word of his benevolent venture spread quickly, with some customers coming from dozens of miles away. One person wrote a $5,000 check and by the end of the day, Drew raised more than $10,000, his family told KLTV.
Drew isn’t the only one raising money for his dad. Tameka Royal, a longtime friend of Randy Cox, has set up a website account, www.giveforward.com/randycox, to solicit contributions for the family, which includes Randy and his wife, Tonya Cooley Cox, and three boys: Drew, 6, Jake, 4, and Micah, 7 months.
“Randy and I have been friends for a long time because we went to school together at Sabine High School,” Royal told msnbc.com in an email. “His wife and I have been friends since we were 6 years old from dance class. When I heard of his cancer, I immediately began to pray for him and his family. I asked God to give me direction as to how to help them and get others to help this wonderful family.”
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