Cave Spring Baptist Church yard sale will raise money for Drew Bennett
CAVE SPRING–A yard sale can barely make a dent in a $4 million hospital bill. But members of Cave Spring Baptist Church are willing to give it their best shot.
On Saturday, August 21, Cave Spring Baptist Church will sell used items, baked goods, hot dogs, and hold a car wash to raise money for seven-year-old Drew Bennett.
“Our church doesn’t usually do yard sales,” Gerri Walters, who organized Cave Spring Baptist Church’s yard sale, said. “This is kind of an exceptional thing for us to do.”
In fact, the yard sale was the Bennett family’s idea. Cave Spring Baptist Church, where the family attends whenever possible, wanted to do a fundraiser to help them. The Bennetts suggested a yard sale. They can use all the help they can get with their son Drew.
Drew Bennett
Imagine an ordinary seven-year-old boy. When he is not playing sports or doing homework, he can usually be found pestering a sibling or bringing home a pet frog in his pocket. Full of life, seven year olds are handfuls, just looking for an adventure.
Now imagine a seven-year-old who must wear a backpack of pumps 20 hours per day. Who has wires protruding from his small form. Who must have his stomach contents drained from his body. Who risks disease every time he leaves home. Who must get nutrition through a tube, and who is too tired to play a game of catch.
That is the life of Drew Bennett. That is the life of a child diagnosed with Pseudo-Obstruction. The disease is a rare condition with symptoms similar to a blockage; yet there is none. The symptoms are due to a neurological or unidentifiable problem obstructing the flow of food and fluid. There is only one other child in the world in Drew’s condition.
Drew’s mother, Christy Bennett, noticed in his infancy that something was not right. When he was two years old, she decided to take action.
After visiting countless doctors, and hearing multiple wrong diagnoses, doctors at the Colorectal Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital identified Drew’s disease as Pseudo-obstruction. It was hoped that with surgery, the diseased part of his colon would be removed, and Drew would get back to a normal life.
Yet his health grew worse. In the past five years, Drew has been through 15 surgeries. His large bowel was completely removed; his stomach and small bowel are non-functional, and he currently takes artificial nutrition 20 hours per day. His one hope is to receive stomach, small and large bowel, and possibly liver transplants. All must come from the same child donor. In September 2009, Drew was added to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).
These transplants will cost $4 million, with even more expenses afterwards. His family has partnered with the non-profit MJC&A Foundation, which will assist in the costs for his care. The organizers of the Cave Spring Baptist Church yard sale hope to make a small dent in that amount.
Without the transplants, however, the yard sale will do little good. The average wait for a transplant is between 167 and 367 days. Drew has been waiting for approximately 350, as his health continues to decline.
Christy Bennett, Drew’s father Doug, and Drew’s siblings Sam, Alex, and Caity moved from Florida to Roanoke in 2007 to be closer to Drew’s hospital in Cincinnati. After the transplant, Christy Bennett and Drew will move to Pittsburgh, where the surgery will take place, for a year, while Doug Bennett stays in Roanoke.
The costs, both financially and emotionally, have been tough on the Bennett family. But while his body has broken down, Drew’s spirit is still fully intact.
“He really is an amazing seven year old,” Christy Bennett said. “He never complains. He just looks at every day as, ‘I’m going to live today to the fullest.’ It’s pretty neat.”
The yard sale will last from 8:00 until 2:00 on Saturday at the Cave Spring Baptist Church Family Life Center at 4873 Brambleton Avenue.
More information about Drew, and information on donating to the MJC&A Foundation, can be found online at PrayForDrew.com.
A Question?
Can I make a contribution to Drew’s support, through your church?
I would like to do so to honor a very caring family, and also support Drew.
Thank you for replying to the above email address.