Five-year-old Indiana boy Brayden Denton recently lost his fight against a brain tumor. His mom, Staci Denton, said that his battle was "fit for a superhero," and when he passed away earlier this week, the community in his hometown made sure that his funeral was too.

As the sweet boy was laid to rest, his pallbearers found a way to honor him – by dressing up as his favorite superheroes. Brayden's uncle Cory dressed as Thor. Others dressed up as Superman, Batman, Iron Man, and the Incredible Hulk. "It was hard, but I did it for him," said Cory, who shared memories of watching all the Iron Man movies with his nephew.

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"That's what Brayden would have wanted," his mom Staci told news channel WFLI. The boy suffered from a rare but aggressive form of cancer called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG. The disease kills 90 percent of children within 18 months of their diagnosis.

Staci reflected on Brayden's illness, which rendered him unable to walk, then unable to eat or drink. He passed away on May 8th. Several Facebook pages and groups sprung up in support of Brayden when he got sick, organizing fundraisers and prayer circles. The photo of Brayden's coffin being carried by men in superhero costumes made national headlines.

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Brayden loved superheroes throughout his short life. For his last birthday, he wore a cape and ate a superhero-themed cake. He had so many Spider-Man toys that there were none left to buy him. As an additional tribute, Staci had a photo of a superhero created to honor Brayden. She, Cory, and other friends and relatives are using the image – which resembles Spider-Man but with a blue outfit instead of a red one – as their Facebook photo in Brayden's memory.

But a love of superheroes won't be Brayden's only legacy. Staci has donated his tumor to science and has committed her life to cancer research. She is currently working with Ron Alter, a state senator in Indiana, to have September declared National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in the state.