BY RICHELLE THOMPSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP -- Early Monday, Barbara Schneider picked up her newspaper and flashed back 30 years.
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FOR MORE INFO
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Call the Union Township Administration Building, 777-5900; the Hesselbrocks, 697-0080; or grandparents Spencer and Lana Traub, 683-7486. Donations may be made at any Star Bank branch.
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"Without even reading anything, I saw the picture of Kyle and Suzanne (Hesselbrock), and it was like looking at a picture of Jeffrey and myself," said Mrs. Schneider, of Kenwood.
In the late 1960s, her son, Jeffrey, was diagnosed with the same rare, terminal disease, Tay-Sachs, that afflicts 22-month-old Kyle. Doctors then told Mrs. Schneider and her husband, who have since divorced, that Tay-Sachs would be a death sentence for their infant. Jeffrey died a year after the diagnosis.
Monday's front-page article in The Cincinnati Enquirer chronicling Kyle's struggle with the disease and his parents' quest to raise money and discover a cure unleashed 30 years of pent-up grief for Mrs. Schneider. She cried for hours.
Then she called Mrs. Hesselbrock.
"I told her, "I'm really proud of you for not crawling into a hole and for doing something about it,' " Mrs. Schneider said. "I wanted her to know there were other people who had gone through this . . . I wanted her to know that she had my support."
Numerous others have called the Hesselbrocks, offering financial help and prayers. One company volunteered to donate signs, banners or T-shirts for the "Mile for Kyle" walks the Hesselbrocks have planned to raise money for Kyle's health care and for research into the genetic disease. A local high school track coach volunteered the talents of his team to help at fund-raisers.
Since Monday, $260 has been donated to the trust fund established in Kyle's name at area Star Bank locations. Mrs. Hesselbrock is optimistic that more of the calls for help will translate into more money for Kyle's care and a cure.
"We weren't expecting all the people to call but it's been nice," Mrs. Hesselbrock said. "Now, we're hoping a lot of the people who have called do help, make a donation or come to the walk. . . . If everyone donated just $1, it would take us a long way toward finding a cure."
The Hesselbrocks know they're facing a formidable battle. Tay-Sachs destroys the nervous system in children before killing them by age 5. The disease is most common among Eastern European Jews, such as the Schneiders. Genetic testing has cut the number of Jewish children born with disease across the country and in Canada from up to 50 in the early 1970s to between three and six. Still, each year, the disease strikes 11 to 15 children of non-Jewish heritage, such as Kyle.
The Hesselbrocks have turned Kyle's diagnosis into a mission. They are determined to raise awareness about the disease and have organized a string of fund-raisers.
But the grim prognosis leaves Mrs. Hesselbrock "struggling with understanding all of this."
"I've always been taught God has a reason or a good purpose for everything. The hard part is trying to find what that purpose is for all of this," the 24-year-old Deerfield Township mother said. "All I know is he chose Kyle to be a special angel."
The Hesselbrocks intend to set up a Tay-Sachs information booth at the Mason Heritage Days festival Aug. 22.
"Mile for Kyle" walks are planned for Sept. 12 in McGinnis Park in West Chester for the Kyle Spencer Hesselbrock Fund. Donations also can be made to the fund at any area Star Bank location.
There will be three one-mile walks, starting at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. The walks will be during West Chester FunFest '98. Entry fees are $5 to walk and $10 with T-shirt.
