BERTHOUD, Colo. — A brother-and-sister duo known locally as the “Berthoud Sweet Corn Kids” long celebrated for running a popular roadside sweet corn stand each August, found their summer tradition upended this year after the teenage girl was diagnosed with a spinal tumor on the very day the family planned to begin selling corn.

What followed was an unexpected outpouring of support from neighbors, friends and strangers across northern Colorado.

For years, siblings Calvin and Dahlia Johnson have been fixtures at their family’s corn stand, where customers have come to expect long hours, friendly chatter and fresh harvests grown on the farm they’ve worked on since before they could count. Their father, Andrew Johnson, said the tradition runs deep in their family.

“The sweet corn thing has b

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