“I’m simply overwhelmed,” said Vicki Tetley, who attended the special fund raising dinner for her son held at the Iroquois Legion Branch 370, on Saturday, January 30.
“I’ve seen community support before, but when it is your own community doing this for you, well it’s just overwhelming. Josh was so much wishing that he could be here tonight.”
The fundraiser, organized by Hilda Barkley, chair of the Legion Ways and Means committee, and Mike Eastman, owner of Iroquois Foodland, brought in $5,200 to help the Tetley family with Josh’s cancer treatments.
Josh, 23, is currently in Ottawa General where he is undergoing experimental treatment for his aggressive form of leukemia. The option was developed by doctors in Boston, Massachusetts. Standard treatments in Canada have been exhausted.
The experimental treatment, which could run $6,500 US a month, is not covered by OHIP.
“It is incredible the way this event all came together in such a short time after Mike suggested a fundraiser,” said Shelley Cumberland, a Legion member.
“We figure that well over 150 people turned out for the dinner, which was cooked and donated by Mike and organized by Hilda. Mike was here cooking at 4 a.m. Everyone pitched in.”
Dessert was provided by Legion ladies.
Absolute Country, James Brown, Dawn and Ricky Collins, Cleb and Austin Burnet, also donated their time to the fundraiser, and their great music had people up and dancing until last call.
“We were happy to support Vicki,” said Cumberland. “All the funds raised are going directly to help Josh.”
“We are currently trying an unconventional treatment to knock this disease back in an attempt to achieve remission,” Vicki Tetley explained. “Then we would try a bone marrow transplant again with an unrelated donor. There are no guarantees at this point and our options are limited.”
Josh was, she said, both shocked and touched by the generous fundraiser organized in his home community.
“He’s in very good spirits,” his mother said. “He’s had a lot of challenges with pain and side effects, but he is determined to fight and prove his doctors wrong. He amazes me with his strength. I want to keep fighting with him.”
She deeply appreciates everything that the community has done for Josh, supporting this fundraiser at her Legion.
“The people here are phenomenal human beings.”
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