Members of the Amigos Sports Club have come together to help a Wildwood Elementary School student who is facing a complicated surgery in Minneapolis next month.
Jim Wilson, co-chair of the club’s Adopt-A-Family program, and his wife, Mary Anne, paid a visit to Abigail “Abby” Lacayo this past Saturday to present her with an iPad and many other items she can take with her Thursday when she travels to the University of Minnesota’s Masonic Children’s Hospital for appointments and preoperative testing.
The 9-year-old straight-A fourth-grade student, who suffers from Hereditary Chronic Pancreatitis and Gastro Paresis and has been forced to endure excruciating pain and bloating for the past several years, is then scheduled to undergo an extremely complicated surgery on Dec. 12.
During that procedure, which could take 12 to 14 hours, a specialized team of surgeons will remove Abby’s pancreas, spleen and gallbladder, and also transplant islet cells into her liver.
When the Wilsons arrived at the Lacayo’s home on Saturday, they were greeted by Abby, her parents and the family dog, Zoey.
“Jim and I were overwhelmed by our visit,” Mary Anne wrote in an email that was shared with club members. “In spite of financial need and the life threatening-situation they face, they were so loving and accepting of what they have to face.”
Mary Anne said there’s no doubt that Abby’s mother, Gina, is a “relentless” advocate for her.
“Abby is very smart,” Mary Anne said. “She is the top student in her class. She immediately started working on the iPad and asked intelligent questions and was so excited.”
In addition the iPad, the Wilson’s delivered several other items that were purchased through the $1,600 raised for the Adopt-A-Family program. Those included two years of AppleCare warranty; a case and screen protector; ear buds; a power adapter, station and cord; a $200 iTunes gift certificate to purchase books; a $200 gasoline gift certificate for the four-day car trip to Minnesota; a $200 Amazon gift certificate for miscellaneous expenses; and $100 in McDonald’s gift certificates for food along the way.
“I wish you all could have seen the goodness that was done through your generosity,” Mary Ann wrote. “It was amazing to see. Abby gave us a picture of her smiling and posed for a picture with us and her iPad in front of a wild picture of her.”
Mary Anne also told club members that Gina promised to stay in touch and keep them up-to-date on Abby’s condition throughout the trip, which could last anywhere from six to 12 weeks after the surgery, depending on how Abby’s recovery period goes. And she shared a message Gina sent after Abby received the iPad.
“What you have done for Abby and our family is truly amazing,” Gina said. “Abby is over the moon with her iPad. I don’t think she has put it down since you left. We are beyond grateful and humbled beyond words.”
The Amigos Sports is still accepting donations for Abby through Dec. 8. All checks should be made out to Amigos Sports Club and the memo line should contain “Adopt-A-Family” and/or “Abby.” Checks can be mailed to Jim Wilson, 411 Rhapsody Path, The Villages, FL 32162.
Those wishing to help Abby also can contribute through her GoFundMe account, which was created in April by Villager Faye Scher, a volunteer at Abby’s school and a member of the charity-oriented Gilchrist West Social Club. Scher has been doing everything in her power to help the Lacayo family and is encouraging everyone who can to make a donation to help offset their expenses.
“They have enough to worry about with her surgery and recovery,” said Scher, who can be reached at fscher@aol.com for more information about ways to help the Lacayo family.
As of Tuesday morning, Abby’s GoFundMe account, which has been shared 964 times on Facebook, was sitting at $24,348. So far, 337 people have contributed to the account in seven months. The highest donation is $1,500, which was followed by $1,000 and $950 gifts. And three people have made $500 donations, including one that came from an anonymous source a few days ago.
Gina said her family has been touched in many ways by the outpouring of love and support for her daughter.
“We are truly humbled by everyone’s kindness and generosity. The way our community and The Villages has come together is amazing,” she said recently. “There are not enough words to express how much appreciation I have. You have made the impossible seem possible.”
