Wyandotte: A Community Of Caring

It was standing room only at  this past Sunday and while there were many, many, friends and family in attendance, there were also scads of people from Wyandotte and other Downriver communities whom had never met Jacob or his extended family. My mind couldn't begin to grasp the enormity of it. Monica, Jacob's mother, voiced the same awe several times. All I knew was that , and everywhere I looked there were smiling faces and bodies clad in  Actions unite.

They didn't come empty-handed. It seemed like loaves and fishes. Baked goods multiplied on the bake sale table as folks made a little something to sell for Jacob. I was worried there wouldn't be enough pasta to feed the masses, but pan after pan appeared on the tables and no one went without. Awesome items for the paper bag auction continued to arrive in a steady stream all week long from local businesses, friends, and neighbors, right up until the end, all to help the Marions help Jacob.

They didn't leave empty-handed either. There was something for everyone. Folks who won the auction items went home with prizes like an autographed Zetterberg and Kaline jersey, primo Red Wing tickets, autographed baseballs, flat screen TV's, a beautiful crocheted vest, gift cards of every sort, and the coveted Team Jacob basket decked in Roosevelt blue and yellow!

That wasn't the best part for me though. Not because I didn't win any of the auction items. The best part was meeting Wyandotte Councilwoman Sheri Sutherby-Fricke. She knew what Jacob was going through first hand as she is a brain injury survivor. No, I take that back, she is a brain injury thriver! You would never know it by looking at her. She wanted to make sure she told Jacob's family she was once in his condition for a very long time and she is a living, thriving, testament to what the possibilities could be for him.

You see, it was a difficult week leading up to the fundraiser. Doctors told Jacob's family the sobering news that while his other injuries were healing well, they were concerned that he has not shown signs of waking. They feared his brain went without oxygen because of the swelling and bleeding that happened after the accident. Sheri told us not to be discouraged that Jacob wasn't rousing, not to give up anticipating his reawakening. She confirmed that those in a coma can definitely hear, and that talking to him is very important. Recording friends' and loved ones' voices for him, reading to him, and playing his favorite music were all beneficial. What's more, she volunteered for the Brain Injury Association of Michigan and had access to resources Jacob and the family will probably need in the future. Sheri gave me her card and told me to relay to family and friends that she was available absolutely anytime, day or night, to answer questions, to point them in the right direction if she didn't have the answer, to relate her experience, and to offer reassurance. Where did she come from!?!

Seems those prayers are still working because God has sent the Marion family hundreds of angels! I'll put in the request on their behalf–Keep 'em coming, please!

To read all of Chronicler's blog posts about Jacob Marion,