For the past couple of months, the community has been diligent in raising funds and selling tickets for an upcoming benefit for little Alex Tingley of Bradford who has been fighting acute lymphocytic leukemia since Christmas.
Ticket sales to help Alex, 4, and his family with his ongoing medical expenses have been going so well that the venue for the March 31 beef on weck benefit has been changed to a larger location, the Limestone Firemen’s Community Center on Main Street in Limestone, N.Y.
The fundraiser, which will include raffles and entertainment, has an admission fee of $10 per person, with children under 5 admitted free.
Debbie George, Alex’s great-aunt, said the raffle prizes for the event “are just awesome and arriving daily.”
She said examples of the raffle prizes include a trip to New York City, tubing at Holiday Valley, a handmade redwood bench, Bush Bed and Breakfast stay, pet, kitchen and lottery baskets, as well as an essential oil basket.
George said the outpouring of help has been uplifting for Katie Tingley and her husband, Chris, who works in the X-ray department at Bradford Regional Medical Center. The family also has an 8-year-old son, Owen.
In a previous account of Alex’s illness, his mother had said he had been diagnosed with the disease the day after Christmas and since that time had been hospitalized a month in a Buffalo, N.Y., followed by ongoing hospital and doctor appointments and treatments. The treatments are expected to continue for the next two years. Doctors have told the family that Alex’s B Cell acute lymphocytic leukemia is the most common form of the disease — and the most curable.
“The family is so grateful that Katie can now stay home with Alex,” George said. “Having to give up her daycare business created a financial strain.”
She said the Make-A-Wish Foundation has also contacted the Tingleys and they will soon hear what wish will be granted.
“We are all anticipating Alex to begin phase two of his treatment,” George added. “If his counts are good, it will mean more hospital stays because the treatment causes spikes in temperature. “As frightening as it sounds, they are happy to be moving forward,” she stated.
George said Alex has been keeping his sense of humor throughout his whole ordeal.
During a visit from a nurse who was checking his vitals, a wiggly Alex was asked by the woman, “Alex, how did you get so cute?” He responded, “It’s a long story.”
In other updates on the family, George said a can drive has collected $1,490 and will continue to collect until March 30. She noted three young children, Frankie, Nevaeh and Mackenzie Gomez, have done “a fantastic job” with this fundraiser.
In addition, she said a T-shirt drive organized by Amy Bugman generated $1,579. The shirts are inscribed with the words “Alex’s Angels.”
“GoFundMe continues to be a great avenue to help with Alex’s hospital expenses,” George continued, noting $22,650 has been donated so far by local people as well as from all over the world. She said foreign countries that have donated include Australia, England, Korea and Malaysia.
George noted Alex and Owen have attended The Learning Center, the same school their mother had attended.
“Katie’s fourth-grade teacher, who had moved to California several years ago, donated,” she commented. “It’s amazing all the wonderful people Alex has brought together.
“Two years of treatment is a battle for this little family and financial and emotional support is so important,” George added. “We are so thankful for the support from all over the world, but we are especially impressed that all the connections came from Bradford. Bradford is a very caring and supportive place to live. They look after their own.”
