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Teen girl faces a third life struggle

Several readers dig in to help his garden grow

Published on Monday, Aug 03, 2009

This is another in a series of columns on people ''Making a Difference'' in the community.

Many 14-year-old girls are busy contemplating back-to-school shopping.

Fourteen-year-old Megan Kasmar, while looking forward to starting her freshman year at Manchester High School this fall, has a far more urgent need: surviving.

Megan — a two-time cancer survivor (alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma when she was 11 months old and again when she was 2) — is now battling interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, along with bronchial obliterans obstructive pneumonia.

There is no cure for this; she will need a double lung transplant. The radiation necessary for her cancer treatment severely scarred her lungs.

So, here's what's ahead for Megan.

''She will be treated monthly at Akron Children's Hospital for three-day courses of aggressive IV steroid treatments,'' reads an informational sheet about her. ''These treatments are necessary to maintain Megan's lungs until the transplant can take place. Megan went to Pittsburgh Children's Hospital on June 30 for a three-day evaluation and to be put on the donor list. Your prayers concerning Megan are greatly appreciated.

''At the time of the transplant, Megan and her mother will have to be in Pittsburgh for a minimum of six weeks, during which time her mother will be unable to work.''

A spaghetti benefit and silent auction are planned to assist them, 4 to 8 p.m. Aug. 15 at Manchester High School, 437 W. Nimisila Road. For advance tickets or information, please call Paula Stevenhagen at 330-882-2586 or Marissa Gensimore at 330-882-4113.

Also, a Megan Kasmar Fund has been set up at FirstMerit Bank (any branch).

Volunteering to help

Powerful and prayerful thank-yous to all who have come to the aid of gentleman gardener/charitable giver Joe McCorvey.

The 72-year-old McCorvey, has been leasing and planting a half-acre vegetable garden for 27 years and giving the bounty to needy senior citizens at his church and throughout the community. However, his garden was looted last week. Not once but twice.

Many strangers have reached out to him in moving and meaningful ways.

Add to the list of earlier-mentioned kind souls the following:

• Michael Wittwer, president of Action Door, Stow, wants to donate and install motion sensors for McCorvey's garden.

• Debbie Summers wrote: ''I have a small backyard garden and always have extra produce after sharing with neighbors. This excess usually goes to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. However, after reading about Mr. McCorvey's plight, I would like to donate my excess to his cause this year.''

• ''I'm a college student [a senior journalism major/Spanish minor at the University of Dayton and resident of Hartville]. I don't have a lot, but I plan on taking what I have and purchasing as much produce as I can tomorrow at a local farmers market. Please let me know how I can get the produce to Mr. McCorvey so that the people he helps won't go without.'' — Colleen McCarthy.

• ''Can you please tell me if he gets his seeds and/or plants from any particular nursery that is convenient for him? I'd like to give him a gift certificate to purchase supplies for next year. Please do not use my name. What a dear, kind man . . . he needs to know that people DO care.''

• ''We have had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Mr. McCorvey on two separate occasions. In our opinion, he is a good man who is hard-working, intelligent, polite and honest. So we weren't surprised to learn that he devotes some of his time, energy and financial resources to helping other people.

''We would like to let Joe know that people respect him and what he does. We don't have a garden of our own so we can't contribute produce or plants, but we would like to contribute $100 to Joe to help him in his efforts for this year or next. We would also be willing to work with him to repair the damage that was done to his garden.'' — No names please.

• ''North Hill United Methodist Church would like to assist Mr. McCorvey with his garden. Is it possible for us to supply him with various seed packets and a monetary donation for his garden next year? We would love to help him in any way we can.''

• Nellie Jones of Akron called to say she has space in her yard for Mr. McCorvey to plant a new garden, and she would be there to watch it for him so he won't have problems with vandals.

• Many thanks also for their help to Bob Yale, Keith Traylor, 13-year-old Harley Williams (member of Boy Scout Troop 74), Jim Todaro of Wayne County, Cherie Ross of Green, Kelly Rhode of Tallmadge, Paul Walsh of Walsh Farms in Doylestown, Mitchell Pizzino of Portage County's Edinburg Township and others.

Split decision

Major kudos to 13-year-old Monica Tannhof, who decided to split the $1,000 college scholarship she won in the recent Akron District Marble Tournament with her friend Amy Fox, also 13 and a member of the same Girl Scout Cadette Troop 90174 in Manchester.

Michael Cohill, founder of the American Toy Marble Museum in Akron and organizer of the tournament for the past 20 years, was blown away by her generosity. ''It's so unusual, but it doesn't surprise. That's what Girl Scouts do,'' Cohill said. ''It talks to the heart of what Girl Scouts is all about — selflessness and camaraderie.''

That type of person

A generous Virginia Boyer of Akron would like to donate an almost-like-new electronic typewriter to a deserving person.

So, if you've fallen on difficult economic times and could use this, let me know.

Bagging cash

The recent ''Bag Hunger'' campaign at Macy's Chapel Hill store exceeded its goal to raise $1,600 for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

''I'm happy to tell you we ended up with a little over $2,000, which I'm told equates to about 8,000 pounds of food,'' said campaign spokesperson Ellen Zban.

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.

 

This is another in a series of columns on people ''Making a Difference'' in the community.

Get the full article here.


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deidre
Canton, OH

Posted 01:07 PM, 08/03/2009

Thoughts and Prayers to Megan and family and friends. I will be atopping by a First Merit this week.


themonster
Akron, oh

Posted 05:03 PM, 08/03/2009

That poor girl! What a long hard life she's had! It's nice to see other's in the community are doing so much to help her!


Shawn

Posted 09:34 AM, 08/04/2009

Just goes to show that anything can happen to anyone of us at anytime. My thoughts are with the family...














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