8-year-old boy from Missouri auctions hog for $19K to raise money for sick friend

MISSOURI (WABC) -- A little boy from Missouri showed incredible kindness when he helped his sick friend by raising money at a livestock auction.

8-year-old Jesse Starr's best friend, Claire, was diagnosed with a deadly brain tumor last year.

He decided to help her out by selling a hog he had raised.

It started like a typical auction. The hog sold to a woman for $16,000! But then she surprised everyone by saying, "sell it again."

The bidding continued and, in the end, Starr raised $19,000 for his friend.

"Never in a million years, did I ever anticipate it going the way it did," Claire's mother Rachel Record said.

"When it comes to kids and helping people out, this community is beyond gracious," Jesse's mother Shauna Starr said.

A clinical trial is helping Claire beat the odds.

An MRI showed her tumor is shrinking.