SHEBOYGAN, WISCONSIN: The courage of 9-year-old Kyleigh Brunette to transform suffering into a cause has made her a media sensation. The hero child set out to use a lemonade stand to promote mental health awareness after her father died by suicide when she was just six years old.
People started arriving while they just sat in the driveway with the pitchers, Kyleigh remarked, and "it was just really exciting." The 9-year-old sold lemonade last year and donated the $800 she made to Mental Health America in Sheboygan in memory of her father. People all over the world were moved by her story, as reported by TMJ 4.
Who was Kyleigh Brunette's father?
Jordan Wakefield, Kyleigh Brunette's father, took his own life in 2019 when she was 6 years old. Brittany Brunette-Thimmesch, Kyleigh's mother, sat her down a few months ago and described to her how he died. "From day one, she was asking 'how?' and I'd say, 'I don’t know. We have to wait for the police to figure it out,'" Brunette-Thimmesch, 30, stated to TODAY Parents. "She was way too young to comprehend and understand what happened. I didn’t want her to get feelings of like, 'Why wasn’t I enough?'" Kyleigh was prepared to hear the truth in March, according to her mother. "Kyleigh came home from school upset because some of the kids were questioning her about how her dad died," Brunette-Thimmesch added. "So we crawled into my bed and had a very hard conversation."
'Jordan loved her with everything he had'
Brunette-Thimmesch had spoken with therapists about what to say when it was time. Kyleigh was informed that Wakefield was ill, despite the fact that he didn't appear to be ill at all. The little child, like Brunette-Thimmesch, who co-parented with Wakefield, was taken aback when he revealed that he was suffering from depression. "She said, 'Mom, he was always happy. I made him happy,'" Brunette-Thimmesch recounted. "I miss everything about him," Kyleigh noted. "I miss him telling silly jokes. I miss him bringing me to school in the mornings and tucking me in at night." "He adored Kyleigh," Brunette-Thimmesch claimed. "She’s an avid soccer player and he was at every single game. Jordan loved her with everything he had."
Kyleigh was able to donate $1,000 this time
"It's been a huge wake-up call to a lot of people. I've had some people messaging me online saying your story has really helped out. Now, I think of my kids when I'm having bad thoughts. I've realized how much it actually will affect my family," mentioned Kyleigh's mom. Kyleigh and her siblings once again spent the day selling lemonade in their driveway on Saturday, July 15 only a few days after what would have been her dad's 36th birthday. She was able to donate $1,000 this time to the charity. "We were all just shocked. We were all like what," the hero child said.
'I wish he could come back'
Kyleigh has accomplished a lot since beginning her adventure in a relatively short period of time. "We did the suicide awareness walk in Sheboygan. We were able to raise an additional $3,000 fund to give them at the walk," stated Brittany. "Kyleigh got the youth ambassador award at that walk as well. We also have an online set up for donations for Mental Health America." The girl doesn't stop thinking about her dad on a daily basis. "I miss him so much and I wish he could come back," noted Kyleigh. Donations can be made here if you're interested.
