Four-month-old Elijah Hennessey, tucked in his mother Jessie Hennessey’s arm at the Collins Hall on Saturday, had no idea about the buzz of activity going on around him.
But it was that activity, surrounding a broad-based community effort to raise money for ongoing medical care for Elijah, who suffers from congenital heart disease and an array of other ailments, that surrounded the youngster and his mother on Saturday.
Jessie Hennessey and her husband Tom Wallace have already endured numerous expenses related to their son’s ongoing treatment which has taken the youngster and parents to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, no inexpensive venture for the young Elliot Lake family.
Beside his heart defect, Elijah also suffers from critical organs being re-arranged within his tiny body. Treatment has involved emergency cardiac treatment at Sick Kids and more appointments needed in the coming months to resolve the child’s medical issues.
He was born Nov. 23, but five days later Elijah had his first surgery, Jessie said in an interview with ElliotLakeToday as noisy activity went on around the Collins Hall where auctions, a garage sale and other fundraisers were taking place.
Indeed, people were constantly coming in and out of the hall, donated at no cost by the city, to look at donated items and making bids. The numbers, although difficult to get a proper tally on, could easily have reached several hundred.
Among them was Theresa Hiuser who recently moved to Elliot Lake was looking over some of the items for sale at the silent auction.
“It’s a very good cause,” she said of the event and why she attended.
Estimates for how much was raised were not available at press time, but early indications about the auction indicated at least $7,000 was raised. Also, some of the many donation cheques presented during the day came to $4,000, including a $1,000 cheque from the local Lions Club, and more pledges coming in.
The community-based fundraiser was organized by a group made up of Joanne Jarvis, Beth Harrison and Sandy Finamore. A fourth member of the group declined to be identified in news stories. Finamore is to be officially sworn in as a member of city council. All the group members are known for their community volunteer work.
The decision to launch the fundraiser was essentially based on the financial burden the family was experiencing with Elijah’s ongoing care. But there was also a secondary reason.
Elijah’s grandmother Darla Hennessey and her husband Howie are well known volunteers in the community. Darla is well known as the city’s event coordinator and museum curator. In the coordinator’s capacity she takes care of organizing city-based events like the annual fishing derby.
According to Finamore the fundraiser also was returning the appreciation connected with Darla and her husband’s work in the Elliot Lake.
Finamore said as one of the organizers of the fundraiser there was considerable work, but was made easy “by this community.”
“Nobody said no,” she said of gathering sponsors and volunteers for the event.
“It’s time to give back to Darla and show Darla the love. It’s probably the worst time in Darla’s life,” Finamore said of one of the reasons she got involved in the fundraiser for Elijah, pointing to the 20 years Darla has organized events for the city.
Jessie Hennessey said she loves the community and was greatly appreciative of the fundraising efforts and the amount for work involved.
The money raised will help cover costs of medications, travel and accommodations as the family continues to make the trek to Toronto for Elijah’s treatment.
Jessie is employed as a part-time daycare worker while her husband Tom works for the Catholic School Board and does videotaping of local council meetings.
Elijah’s mother, welcomed the community support, but she also takes time to think about parents, she has met at Sick Kids, who have situations more difficult than her. She recalls striking up a relationship with another mother at Sick Kids whose child suffered from similar ailments to Elijah but had no partner to help her and no family for support. She said the mother lived in Hamilton and likened her experience to being the proverbial “small fish in a large pond.”
The family appreciates all the support the Elliot Lake community has shown and continues to show and, according to Jessie, looks forward to continued recovery by her son Elijah.