Sosie Dornan and Lilly Johnson met at Arkansas Children’s Hospital earlier this year and have been keeping each other company ever since.
Sosie, a 7-year-old from Pottsville, Arkansas, has spent much of her life in the hospital, battling an autoimmune disorder that affects her skin and kidneys. But if there’s a silver lining, it’s that she made a friend there, a three-year-old little girl named Lilly, who’s been battling a rare bone disorder for most of her short life.
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When Sosie first came up with the idea of setting up a lemonade stand, she planned to use the money to buy the pony she’s always wanted. But she and Lilly became thick as thieves, and as we all know, friends come before ponies.
“I said ‘Mom, I don’t want to raise money for a pony’ and she said ‘What do you want to raise money for?’ and I said ‘Lily!’” Sosie said.
She recently set up shop on the sidewalk outside her house, with colorful signs advertising lemonade and water at $2 a pop. When she opened for business that first day, she probably had visions of jars and safes filled with bundles of cash that she could donate to the cause, but even if she only raised $40, at least that was something she could give to help her friend’s family out. It’s the thought that counts, right?
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And as a young and inexperienced entrepreneur, maybe that’s all she would’ve raised, especially without an advertising budget in place. But when the community found out she was putting her own dreams on hold in order to help her friend, they came out in droves! And it wasn’t just her friends and neighbors who whipped out their wallets, either — members of the local police and fire departments dropped by to quench their thirst, too!
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When all was said and done, she’d raised $550 over the course of three days! It was more than she ever could’ve hoped for, and the success has inspired this budding philanthropist to put her dream of owning pony on the back burner just a little bit longer. She still wants a pony, her mom, Heather, says, “but she wants to help one more friend first.”
What a sweet little girl! If she shows this kind of generosity now, at such a young age, just imagine what she’ll be able to accomplish once she’s old enough to get a business license and advertising budget together…
Watch the video below to hear more about this heart-warming friendship, and share Sosie’s selfless act today.