A student in Sevierville took Breast Cancer Awareness Month to heart.
For three years at Sevierville Primary School - kindergarten through second grade - Drayden Shurley has been an ideal student. He's polite, helpful and really likes math.
"He's always excited for my class and he always answers and has great answers. So he's one of my go-to kids that I can know to call on and they are going to give me a great answer that everyone can learn from," teacher Glenda Parrish said.
Recently she learned that Drayden's mother has breast cancer, and that the 8-year-old had an idea to help.
"I decided my teacher might let me go around the whole entire school and ask door to door if they would want to get one and they are $5," Drayden said.
They are pink stretchy bracelets. Another family member ordered them online. The bracelets say
"It says Kristin's Fight with Breast Cancer #TeamShurley," Drayen said. "My mom couldn't pay for the medical bills so I went around the whole entire school and asked people for bracelets."
He walked through the halls and approached teachers in 42 different classrooms plus administrators to persuade them to help his mom.
"I just thought that was so brave, so courageous, so huge to me. My heart immediately went to him and his family. I was so proud of him to the point that I said I would like to have him recognized," Glenda said.
"I don't want her to die so I just sold as much as I can," Drayden said.
He gave the money from the bracelets to his mother as a contribution to her medical expenses.
"She was very excited and she was very happy," he said.
10 Rising Hearts: Nominate a student who is making a difference
Drayden is happy, too.
"She's doing ok. She's been doing really good. We've been helping her and it's going really good," he said.
"I think his heart is just huge. I really do," Glenda said.
We are featuring students making a difference here in East Tennessee in our series 10 Rising Hearts. These are students who reach beyond their schools and families to help make our community better.
