An 8-year-old girl who lost her father to suicide is working to ensure other children do not face the same kind of loss.
Kyleigh Brunette of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, has fond memories of her beloved father, 32-year-old Jordan Wakefield, People reported Friday.
“He was funny and loving and caring for me and he would never, ever yell at me,” she recalled.
Her dad passed away in 2019, however, because she was so little at the time, her mother felt it was best not to reveal his cause of death.
“We didn’t want her to start having those feelings of guilt,” said mom Brittany Brunette-Thimmesch, adding they waited but did not want her to hear the information from anyone else but loved ones.
Not long ago, Kyleigh asked her mother about it because she needed the closure, according to her mother. So, the pair sat down together and talked about it.
Video footage showed images of Kyleigh with her beloved dad, the little girl saying, “I miss him every day.”
In remembrance of her father on his birthday this year, Kyleigh set up a lemonade stand, then gave every bit of the money to the organization, Mental Health America.
In a social media post Wednesday, the group said, “We are so grateful for Kyleigh and her family’s kindness and generosity!”
❤We received a surprise visit from a special family and TMJ4 news today. Eight-year-old Kyleigh Brunette hosted a…
Posted by Mental Health America Lakeshore – MHA on Wednesday, July 13, 2022
Followers were quick to respond to the post, praising the little child with a big heart.
“With her being so young and to do this in memory of her Dad is so awesome,” one person wrote.
“What a beautiful tribute to her father. She is so young but still so aware. May she continue her work here on earth in memory of her father. God bless you sweet girl!” another commented.
Meet 8-year-old Kyleigh Brunette. She raised $800 through a lemonade stand she started in honor of her father who committed suicide 2 yrs ago. Today, Kyleigh donated that money to @MentalHealthAm – Sheboygan to ensure, “No little kid has to go through losing a parent like I did.” pic.twitter.com/WUVpfH8Nlh
— Taylor Lumpkin (@TaylorLumpkinTV) July 13, 2022
After selling the lemonade for two days and raising $800, Kyleigh hopes to do it every year from now on.
“It made me happy because I like helping other people and I like being kind to others,” she said, adding, “My dad died from suicide, and I want to raise awareness.”
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