4-year-old boy raises $10,000 for childhood cancer

CHICAGO (WGN) – On Chicago’s Northwest Side, the boundless energy of a 4-year-old boy named Louis Gottschalk has caught the hearts of many.

On Saturday, he showed off his collection of cars and owls.

There was also something brewing in the kitchen, where Louis and his mother fixed up another batch of cold lemonade, which is how WGN-TV first met Louis and his family.

“It’s cold and it’s yummy and it has ice in it,” Louis said of the lemonade.

Just last month, Louis, his mother and father set up a lemonade stand just outside their home for a good cause.

“I’m selling for money for kids cancer,” Louis said. “Sometimes they’re not feeling so good, so we’re selling lemonade today.”

Louis himself is a cancer warrior and wanted to help out the nonprofit Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for childhood cancer.

“I raise $10,000 money. That’s a lot of money and it’s in my piggy bank,” Louis said.

It was, indeed, a lot of money and thanks in part to the people who saw Louis’ story, he made that lofty goal. Louis and his parents later got a big surprise.

Dan Bundy of the nonprofit Bourbon Mafia, a group of connoisseurs that raises money for charity, stopped by to give Louis a $4,200 check and decided to raise a glass, this time to Louis, his battle and his cause.

It was a grateful moment for Louis, and mom is incredibly proud.

“I’m just so proud of him,” she said.

His mother Emily and father Garrett told WGN-TV Louis just got home from six days in the hospital.

“He needed a blood transfusion, but you can’t honestly tell if you look at him today,” Garrett said. “He’s just full of energy.”

It’s an energy that’s caught the hearts of many.

“He’s been so brave and so resilient. I’m just incredibly proud of him,” Emily said. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who gave, everyone who prayed for us…you feel so alone sometimes in this struggle and to know that our community is caring about us, you know our city and our neighbors. It’s really special.”