Pipestone Flyer
Many people are now familiar with Aspholm family of Ryan, Jody, and their children Logan and Scarlet, from Leduc. Sadly, Logan and Scarlet both have a terminal disease called MLD, and Ryan and Jody have been struggling to try and keep their small family afloat and together through this difficult time. Recently, Jody gave up her job in order to be able to spend all of her time with her children, but with the help of many different organizations and individuals from Leduc and area, that financial battle just got a little easier.
A fundraiser was held at the LRC for the Aspholm family on June 16th, and as Brenda Chitrinia, one of Logan and Scarlet's grandmas stated, "It was just....Wow!"
Expecting maybe a few of hundred people in total, the crowd ballooned to over 600, plus children. "It got way bigger than we anticipated, and it was amazing how friends and family just pitched in." said Brenda. "We didn't even have to ask, people just grabbed things and started helping."
One of the biggest challenges was in the kitchen, as dinner was included with the event, and there were many more last minute attendees than expected. "We had a few glitches but people were wonderful." shared Brenda. "There are so many organizations and individuals to thank that my brain goes blank just trying to think of them all. There was so much energy and emotion involved, it was really an awesome night!"
Logan and Scarlet even managed to attend the event and stayed until Jody took them home at 10:30 pm. Then she drove back to the LRC and continued helping with the event.
The event raised over $65,000.00, plus ticket sales for the family, which will come in very handy over the next little while.
"Scarlet begins the first phase of her treatment in Calgary this week." said Brenda. "The money raised will help keep this family unit a real unit."
The entire family has high hopes for this experimental treatment. Scarlet will be the first person to undergo the stem cell treatment for MLD in Calgary. "Someone has to be the first one to have a successful outcome on a new treatment, and with Scarlet's determined spirit, we are hopeful it will be her!" said Brenda.