Community, strangers rally around Broadview teen with financial aid, prayers
Who hasn't wanted to tear back a piece of wrapping paper to get a preview of what was coming Christmas morning?
That's the approach 16-year-old Tamera Hammond is taking with the fundraising effort she initiated on behalf of her friend and schoolmate, Jacob Granger, 13.
To help Jacob and his family defray medical expenses, Hammond launched the fundraiser. Her goal was to raise $1,000 by Christmas. This week, Hammond allowed The Billings Gazette a peek under the wrapping of the Jacob Granger Medical Fund. Its full contents won't be revealed until Christmas.
The brief preview, however, indicates there is at least $1,800 in the account and it's growing by the day.
“It's gone way beyond what I thought it would,” Hammond said. “But I want to keep the rest a secret to surprise Jacob.”
Jacob was diagnosed earlier this year with a staph infection in his right hip. The infection led to surgery, a two-week hospital stay and subsequent medications and doctor appointments.
The infection curtailed the seventh-grader's dream of playing defensive lineman for the Broadview Pirates.
The number of people joining Hammond in her cause is multiplying exponentially. She started the Jacob Granger Medical Fund at US Bank and distributed 15 donation jars in Broadview, Billings and Lavina.
Community groups have requested jars for their respective Christmas dinners and holiday events. Plans are also under way for a benefit dinner and a silent auction.
Hammond was inspired by the YouTube video “Pay It Forward — The Power of Three.” The expression “pay it forward” describes the concept of having a good turn repaid by doing for others. The message of the video is to do “something big” to “change the world.”
“I'm proud of myself that I'm helping a family,” Hammond said. “I'm helping a family tremendously. It's something they couldn't do themselves, and I took matters into my own hands.”
She has ignited a pay-it-forward passion in others, including Jim Russell of Miles City. He read of Jacob Granger's plight in The Gazette and wanted to send a donation.
“It won't be much, but it will be something,” Russell said. He wanted to support the young man because his own grandsons play football and he could empathize with Jacob being sidelined this season. “What a tragedy for that young man.”
A staph infection is caused by a staphylococcus, or “staph” bacteria. Staph infections range from a simple boil, to antibiotic-resistant infections, to flesh-eating infections. Staph-related illnesses can range from mild, requiring no treatment, to severe and potentially fatal. The cause of Jacob's infection remains a mystery. It is no mystery, however, that the infection has eaten parts of the area surrounding the hip, according to his father, causing Jacob to lose length in his leg.
“Damage is clearly there,” Sam Granger said.
Jacob and his father traveled to Shriners Hospitals for Children in Spokane, Wash., on Monday for an evaluation. They thought a hip replacement might be on the agenda. Surgeons at Shriners said they won't replace Jacob's hip until he is done growing.
Meantime, he will undergo a hip fusion, which is typically used for young patients. During the surgery, the thigh bone will be fused to the pelvis. Afterward, Jacob's hip will be completely stiff. Healing typically takes about 12 weeks.
“It's a bad situation, but a lot of good is coming out of it,” Sam Granger said. “Jacob is doing good with it. He keeps his spirits up. He's not going to let anything get him down, which is awesome.”
During a telephone interview, Sam Granger was overcome with emotion in learning about the outpouring of support from friends and people he's never met.
“It's good to live in the society we live in,” Sam Granger said. “It's awesome to get this kind of support from strangers. Prayer lists have been established and new ones are starting every day.”
Contact Cindy Uken at cuken@billingsgazette.com or 657-1287.
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