Fundraiser held to help family that lost 9-year-old son to cancer

After their son lost his five-year battle with cancer, a family was left with expensive medical bills. On Saturday, a fundraiser was held to help ease some of Adyn Pickett’s family’s financial stress.

Fort Myers Brewing Company hosted that fundraiser for Adyn’s family. The young boy touched so many lives during his time.

Adyn Pickett was the embodiment of the words helpful and happy and was always having a good time. As his family continues to mourn, the community comes together to support them. They did so by using the same principles that Adyn lived by.

Adyn brought nine years of happy memories to his family even though he spent five of those years bravely battling leukemia.

James Pickett is Adyn’s father. “We miss just hearing his voice. We miss having to take care of him on a daily basis. We just miss having his presence around,” said Pickett.

James says Adyn was always helping others, especially his family members. He often used music to uplift and support the family during his fight.

“His favorite song he left us was it’s going to be okay. He probably didn’t realize it at the time, but we rely on that now for everything,” said James.

In the Pickett family’s darkest hour, the community stepped up to make sure Adyn’s family would be okay.

People flocked to Fort Myers Brewing Company on Saturday. They raised more than $23,000 to help the Picketts with their medical and funeral expenses.

“It’s all done selflessly from people’s hearts for somebody else to help, and I think a lot of that is what Adyn did,” said James.

Adyn inspired the community with his compassion for others. Even in the face of adversity, he was able to capture the hearts of others, regardless of if they knew him.

Lori Demeter came to Fort Myers Brewing Company on Saturday. “You can be going through all the worse times in the world, but you can still be a nice person,” Demeter said.

Neal Beeler lives in Fort Myers. “He had a positive attitude. And he did the best he could with the time he had,” Beeler said.

The family wants to extend Adyn’s legacy, even as they continue to mourn. “If we wake up feeling bad for ourselves, we fight like Adyn. He wouldn’t feel bad for himself ever,” James said.