Daycare hosts lemonade stand for boy with leukemia

BUFFALO, Minn. (KMSP) - There’s plenty of Minnesota Nice that can be found in Buffalo, Minn., right now.

Jaxson Peterson, just over two years old, is battling leukemia--but he has an army of support right behind him.

Diagnosed in June, the signs were there for weeks before anyone knew for sure what was going on. He was lethargic, he had bruises all over him and he had a near constant fever.

His mom, Kaylee Olson, says he’s going through weekly chemotherapy treatments, and while they have insurance there are many, many costs that simply add up.

They drive from Buffalo to Children’s Hospital can take two hours each way, depending on traffic, and there are plenty of out-of-pocket costs that go with the medical treatments.   

That’s why she says she’s so thankful for all the friends, family and even strangers who’ve been there to help.

 She even has some advice for anyone else going through something like this: let them.

“So many people want to help," Kaylee said. "At first you want to say no, but accept the help. People have given us gas cards and food--when he was on steroids, his favorite food was pizza. So many people dropped off gift certificates for pizza places.”  

The support alone is its own brand of insurance. It’s tough to tackle a personal crisis like this without help. 

Kaylee has taken a leave of absence from her job as a daycare provider at Kid Kare in Buffalo, and they're rallying around her there as well.  Last month, they hosted a two-day lemonade stand and raised about $2,000.

If you follow Kaylee and her story, you’ll see her paying it forward as well. She and Jaxson have met so many new friends at the hospital that they're also becoming support staff for others.

If you’d like to follow Jaxson’s story or help, friends have started a GoFundMe page.