| Reaching out across state boundaries |
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| News | |||
| Written by Brandon Steinert | |||
| Wednesday, 04 November 2009 07:00 | |||
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Small towns throughout the nation have been noted for the sense of community and helpful neighbors. Phil and Mandy Danforth don’t have a connection to Paola. Mandy’s father, Sandy Blake, is the manager at First Student, a bus service in Paola, and that’s about it. But for a small town, that’s enough. When Helen Webster of Paola, an employee at First Student, learned her boss, Blake’s, 2-year-old grandson, Blake Danforth, was recuperating from brain surgery, she felt compelled to help in some way.  “I looked at (his photograph) and thought, ‘that could have been my grandson,’” Webster said. “Sandy is a very Christian person and so am I. (I was) inspired to try to help this 2-year-old have a little enjoyment in life.” Since she found out, Webster has visited with a handful of local organizations, mostly the Paola Kiwanis Club, to work on raising funds to pay for the hospital bills — the primary obstacle facing the Danforths. “The financial matter is just astronomical,” she said. The main fund-raiser is a spaghetti dinner sponsored by the Kiwanis Club from 4 to 8 p.m. today at the Circle C Cafe, 1305 Baptiste Dr., Paola. The dinner will be accompanied by a benefit auction at 6 p.m. The price is $10 per person and $5 for children under 12 years old. Items can be donated for the auction by bringing them to the First Student bus barn, 1010 N. Pearl St., Paola. In addition to inspiring the dinner and auction, Webster has placed cans for donations at Rockers Pharmacy, Circle C Cafe, Cactus Jacks and the Paola Adult Education Center. Phil and Mandy said all the attention is unbelievable. Especially coming from a small town that they have few ties to. “It blows me away,” Mandy said. “It’s so heart-warming. These people don’t even know us.” Phil shared similar sentiment. “To have this community we don’t know do this for us,” he said. “Yeah it is, it’s heart-warming.” The Danforths were concerned prior to the surgery that Blake was not using his right hand. Blake’s second birthday was approaching as their concerns grew. They took Blake to a series of doctors, one of whom finally recommended an MRI, which revealed a tumor on the left side of his brain. One day later, the doctors operated. Blake stayed in the hospital while Phil and Mandy returned to an empty home, including a room with several brand new toys — Blake’s unopened birthday presents. Not knowing what to do, feeling helpless, both of them began to cry. “That was the hardest part,” Mandy said. One of their biggest fears was that Blake would come home a different person. Their fear turned to joy when their son started to piece together short sentences. Mandy said Blake had a large vocabulary before the surgery, but never managed to put the words together. “He’s a fighter. He wanted to walk right away and he’s talking a lot more now,” she said. “It’s a miracle how quick he came around.” Phil and Mandy both gave praise to Dr. Gregory Hornig at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., for Blake’s improvements. Blake still has trouble with his right hand. Though he has almost full motion in his arm, it’s difficult for him to unclench his fingers. Physical therapy involving botox and light-weight exercises are the Danforths’ best hope for Blake to regain some function in his hand. The hospital visits are also still frequent. Blake gets an MRI every three months. Between those visits and the surgery, Phil and Mandy are looking at some hefty bills. “I remember getting the first bill and just laughed at the six-figure number,” Phil said. “We were at home with our kid, (money) was beside the point.” After insurance and discounts, the bill was reduced to a little more than $26,000 for the surgery, plus constant expenses from the MRIs and monthly medication. Webster is hopeful the spaghetti dinner, auction and donations will help give the Danforths a financial cushion. “Why this happened to Blake we’ll never know, but (God) had a reason,” she said. “I want them to know that there are people in communities other than where they live who care about Blake.”
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