Here's a touching story to brighten up your Wednesday.
Don Jaquish, a 65-year-old resident of Wisconsin, has reportedly planted nearly 400 acres of sunflowers to honor his late wife, Babbette Jaquish, who lost her battle with cancer at the age of 66 last November.
According to ABC News, Jaquish spent a week in June planting all 4.5 miles of sunflowers that line Wisconsin's Highway 85 in Eau Claire. His neighbors also rented him land at a reasonable price, and after a 75-day growing period, the flowers have now bloomed.
"She got to be known as the sunflower lady of the community," Jaquish told ABC News, "So after she passed away, I thought it would be a tribute to her to plant 4.5 miles of sunflowers on each side of Highway 85."
Not only are the results breathtaking, but Jaquish also plans to sell the sunflower seeds and donate a portion of the proceeds to cancer research. His and Babbette's daughter, Jenny White, previously founded Babbette's Seeds of Hope one month after her passing and says it was his wife's idea to begin selling sunflower seeds in order to benefit cancer research (the couple previously planted several hundred acres of sunflowers after her 2006 cancer diagnosis).
"I think she would be smiling," Jaquish said. "We had an amazing response. We've had people all over the world send emails."
Babbette's family is overwhelmed by the well wishes. "We wanted it to be a statement of love," White also told ABC News. "There's 4.5 miles of sunflowers, and it's an enormous, beautiful sight. And that's just like my mom. That's what she did with her life."
Jaquish said he plans to plant sunflowers for his wife every year. Babbette's Seeds of Hope will soon be available for purchase.