ELLSWORTH — Camden Bryant won’t turn 2 until the fall, but he’s already in the fight of his life.

Camden, the son of Ellsworth Elementary-Middle School kindergarten teacher Sheri Bryant, was recently diagnosed with leukemia.

Though the Bryant family lives in Eddington, people in Ellsworth who know Sheri Bryant because of her teaching role are rallying to support her young son.

Two of Becky Boudreau’s three children had Sheri Bryant as their kindergarten teacher, and when they learned her son was sick they decided to hold a fund-raiser.

On Tuesday, July 17, the Boudreau family — 9-year-old Jocelyn, Alex, age 6, and Julia, 4, in addition to Becky — set up a lemonade stand and bake sale table at Little Park on State Street.

The following two days, they set up in front of Heartstrings gift shop on Main Street.

Heartstrings owner Daisy Wight, whose son has also been in Sheri Bryant’s class, said her business would donate 20 percent of its sales to the fund-raising effort.

“We want to help the family out with all the expenses associated with medical treatment,” she said.

The fund-raising effort faced several challenges — rain on Tuesday, and a blocked sidewalk on Wednesday as a crew worked on the marquee sign at The Grand next to Heartstrings.

Despite that, the Boudreau children stuck with it and raised $1,643 from the lemonade stand alone.

Becky Boudreau said in addition to learning about helping others, her children also got a math lesson when it came time to count all the money they had collected.

For more community news, pick up a copy of The Ellsworth American.