AKRON, Ohio — When a tow truck rolls in, it’s usually not a good sign.
But on Wednesday, a group of Akron tow truck drivers changed that for Sarah Brown and her 13-year-old son, Colton, in honor of his 13th birthday.
“It means the world to me. It’s truly a blessing,” said Brown.
Back in 2020, Brown said 6-year-old Colton was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma brain cancer.
After countless hospital visits, Brown said Colton eventually went into remission. Then, she said the cancer returned to his spine less than a year later.
Now, Brown said Colton is bedridden and in hospice care, which is why she wanted to do something special to celebrate his birthday.
“I just got this idea; let’s see if people will drive by and give him balloons because he has to lay in his bed. This will give him something fun to look at,” said Brown.
But Brown said she never imagined her Facebook post would touch so many people, including Akron’s first responders and Last Ride Recovery tow truck owner Zachary Cornelius, who told News 5 he also has a son with cancer.
“For me, it’s like, what if one day that’s my child, so what do I do? How do I want the community to come to help me, and that’s what I want to show people; you’re not alone,” said Cornelius, “We had to do something as [a] community. All we see is negative. Why not try to find some positivity for once?”
In less than 24 hours, Cornelius pulled together a team of Good Samaritans like Brandon Hill, who owns Hill’s Towing and Salvage.
“I have kids myself. We do a lot for the community if we can, and it’s just something that felt right,” said Hill.
The group showed up and showed out for Colton and his family at their Akron home with balloons, stunts and good spirits.
“Everywhere you look, it’s just a reminder of how much kindness and love there is out in the world,” said Colton’s stepdad, Ed Brown.
Even though Colton is bedridden, his sister set a ring camera so people could wave and say happy birthday, which Colton saw on the family’s TV.
“His birthday will be done, but what happened today is going to be a memory and stuck in his mind and in his heart for a long time,” said Sarah Brown.
The family asks for the community to continue to pray for them.
“We can change everything going on the community by coming together one step at a time,” said Cornelius.
