IONIA COUNTY, Mich. — Katie Dennis will always celebrate her son Peyton's birthday, despite losing him to DIPG, an inoperable brain cancer, in December 2019.
Since his passing, Dennis has been on a mission to "pey it forward" to others, in her son's memory.
"He always wanted to help other people and share; his saying was 'share the love,'" Dennis told FOX 17 News. "I just started to do random things in his memory to help out."
Dennis chronicles many of the good deeds on a Facebook page called "Pey It Forward Our Cowboy Peyton's Legacy."
Every April 8, Peyton's birthday, she makes sure to plan a special tribute.
Last year Dennis hid gifts around the neighborhood with balloons for children to find.
This year, on what would have been Peyton's 7th birthday, she's decided to bring smiles to others with birthday cakes.
"We are going to go to places like Meijer and Walmart and probably some local bakeries around here, and me and some of my family and close friends have all decided to pitch in and buy a couple cakes," Dennis explained. "Instead of what we would have spent on Peyton's cake, we're just going to pay off random cake orders and surprise other people and hope that it brightens their day a little bit more."
Dennis said they also plan to let off biodegradable balloons and lanterns on Peyton's birthday as well.
"We're just going to keep paying it forward. Until the day that I die, I'm going to be doing stuff in Peyton's memory."
Dennis plans to one day begin a business in her son's honor, called "For the love of Peyton."
To learn more about "Pey It Forward Our Cowboy Peyton's Legacy," click here.
