Residents of Bonnyville once again have displayed their overwhelming generosity and as a result Rebecca and Grant Watton's troubles have been significantly reduced after a fundraiser organized by family friend Jackie Darroch raised more than $35,000.
Now, instead of the financial difficulties piling up, they can focus on helping their baby girl, Oksanah, recover from her second heart transplant at the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton.
The little girl was born with a heart defect that required surgery when she was seven days old, and she received her second heart transplant on Sept. 3 after her heart, the product of an earlier transplant, stopped unexpectedly in early August.
Rebecca, born and rairsed in Bonnyville, now lives in Cold Lake, with Grant, a member of the Canadian military. They have no other children and have spent the majority of their time since Oksanah's birth nearly two years ago at her side in hospital.
Darroch, who has known the family for a number of years, decided to organize the fundraiser to help.
Over 200 people attended the fundraiser on Friday, which included a live auction and chili dinner at the Beaver River Fish and Game Club hall in Bonnyville.
Residents had the opportunity to bid on everything from pieces of art to toys, collectables, luggage, and gift baskets, donated by individuals and businesses in the community while children manned carts loaded up with popcorn for sale, wheeling them through the crowd.
“People were very generous,” Darroch said after the event. “The family was in awe as to how everybody responded to it by donating, by bidding. It was very successful. It was great to see the community come together for such a great cause.”
She added there are no more fundraising efforts underway, but anybody who wants to can still donate at the TD Bank, where a trust fund has been set up under Rebecca Watton or Baby O.
As for Oksanah, she remains in stable condition, and she and her family continue to receive well-wishes and prayers on their Facebook group, Prayers for Baby O (Oksanah Watton), where Grant and Rebecca keep followers updated on her progress with pictures and comments.
Oksanah's grandmother Victoria Wakulchyk said “words are inadequate to express the gratitude we feel for the great effort, time and personal sacrifice Jackie Rivard Darroch and her wonderful family put into having the vision for this event and bringing it into fruition. We are totally humbled by the generosity of family, friends and the community as a whole.”
This event brings meaning to the saying “It takes a whole community to raise a child,” said Wakulchyk.
“Every encouraging word, every sincere blessing and prayer, every dollar donated is like a hug saying to us that you are not alone, we believe with you. Thank you from the bottom of our most grateful hearts.”
Bill Wakulchyk, known to “Baby O” as Papa, said “they say grown men don't cry but after spending days and nights at the hospital watching Oksanah on life support and trying to be strong for her, Rebecca, Grant and I came home and went in the field on the tractor where nobody could see or hear, and the tears started flowing.”
“We are also so grateful for a very successful online auction put on for Oksanah by April Charrios of Encore Hair in Time Square Mall in Bonnyville . With a lot of dedication, determination and donated items the online auction raised over $10,000 last week,” said Victoria Wakulchyk.
