Members of Harley Owners Group from Harley Davidson Bike Town in Austintown are not letting cold weather slow their warm hearts. On March 20 they are pulling together for a bake sale to benefit a special little man, Brett Wilcox.
“We were at a HOG meeting and a member was selling tickets to a different event to benefit Brett and his family,” said HOG director Bob DeCerbo. “When we heard about this young man, we all wanted to help too.”
Brett’s story dates back to Oct. 5, 2009 when his parents Sharon and Don Wilcox took him to the Boardman campus of Akron Children’s Hospital. During the visit, Brett was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. According to Brett’s grandmother, Beth Dobrindt, AML is generally found in older adults.
Treatment involves chemotherapy to help zero out his immune system, but it is not as simple as that. He is wide open for infections during this cleansing treatment. During his fourth treatment, he developed a central line infection, a fungal infection, an abscess and a fissure, requiring two surgeries. It was hard on the youngster who had just turned two on Dec. 13.
Dobrindt said her grandson isn’t out of the woods yet. He left on March 5 for Akron to begin round five of his chemo. Dobrindt said if all goes as planned, he will return home for five days, then return on March 12 for five days of chemo and an extended hospital stay.
“Each time he goes back, he is in danger of something going wrong,” Dobrindt said.
Brett’s parents have both taken medical leaves from their jobs in order to stay with their son at the Akron hospital.
“They sleep head to toe on the couch in Brett’s room,” Dobrindt said.
Although Brett’s parents have health insurance, they are still responsible for some of the costs and being on medical leave is tough when it comes to income. Both parents and family members have been helping out and staying with Brett in Akron.
As for how young Brett is handling the medical treatment, Dobrindt said it is touching.
“After his last hospital stay, Brett was hurting real bad.” Dobrindt said. “He will look up at his father and say 'Daddy, daddy,' as if to say take the pain away.”
The story of Brett’s present ordeal touched his grandmother and touched the hearts of the HOG membership. In what seemed an almost overnight decision, the motorcycle enthusiasts group put together a bake sale on March. 20 to help the family and Brett through his ordeal. According to DeCerbo, Bike Town owners Tom and Shirley Wronkovitch agreed to hold the bake sale at their business in Austintown.
“We think they are in the process of putting something special together themselves,” DeCerbo said.
In the short time since the group members decided to go with the event, several local companies have jumped on board to help. HOG member Lou Pastore worked on a billboard. He said he got the Lamar company to donate a billboard in front of Ruby Tuesday’s on Mahoning Avenue. Ohio Edison-Penn Power Credit Union in the Austintown Plaza donated the ink needed to finish the billboard.
Companies also jumped on board for a raffle with Optiview Vision Center giving a $150 gift card and another $100 from Applebees.
During an interview on Wednesday the group voted to give the family a check for $500 to help with the growing costs.
“That will be $500 on top of whatever we raise at the bake sale,” DeCerbo said.
The March 20 event will take place at Bike Town starting at noon and continuing throughout the afternoon. On Sunday, March 21, St. Brendan’s Hall, 2800 Oakwood Ave., on the West Side will host a spaghetti dinner benefit for Brett from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A week later, from 5 to 8 p.m. March 27, Jack’s Bar and Grille in Howland will host live music and prizes as they attempt to raise funds for Brett and his family.
If Brett stays in remission until October 2014, he will be considered cured, according to Dobrindt. She said for a child of two, that is a lifetime and he has already missed a lot in his young life.
“Brett spent Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and Valentine's Day in the hospital,” Dobrindt said. “I pray he will be home for Easter.”
Dobrindt will likely be heading to Akron herself as her grandson goes through the chemo again. She said she has to be there, but praises one entity for helping.
“If it weren't for the Ronald McDonald House in Akron I would not be able to be on this journey with Sharon, Don and Brett,” Dobrindt said. “They provide three meals a day, dinner is prepared for us and a room with bath. They ask for a $10 donation and if a family can't pay, it's OK. For Thanksgiving and Christmas our whole family was invited for the dinner so we could all be together. The staff and volunteers are terrific.”
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