BROOKINGS The death of a friend or family member is a finality that everyone must face. Sometimes that first death must be faced by a child; frequently that death is an elderly family member. But a child having to face the death of a friend their own age? Thats tough. It was for Kim (Karolczak) Vig, who sits on the board of directors of the Kelly McGeough Foundation. They were both 10 years old when Kelly died in January 1983, following his battle with leukemia.
That was the first death that I ever had to deal with, Vig said. I didnt understand; we were 10. Its something you never quite forget. But mostly I remember Kelly: the smile. He was always happy.
Most peoples first introduction to death is a grandparent or someone older and not someone in your own grade, someone you interact with socially.
But it probably didnt hit me as much as some of his classmates, since I wasnt in the same school. So it wasnt like I saw him every day. But Id see him every Wednesday at CCD (religious education classes).
While they attended different elementary schools, Kim and Kelly received their religious education at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, where they attended classes and made their First Communion together.
They also played T-ball together: He was always there and smiling, Vig recalled. Even when he was sick he would come and watch us play.
Comfort and support
In 1983, not long after their sons death, Bill and Sandra McGeough stood up the Kelly McGeough foundation as a way to honor him. Now in its 41st year, the foundation remains true to its original mission: to provide assistance to children under 18 (years old) with monetary support of expense-related bills created by catastrophic illness or accidental circumstances. The foundation primarily serves children in the Brookings County area and expenses may include but not limited to: hospital/doctor billings, travel and food accommodations, and other family support needs.
The foundation board has 14 members, including chair Sandra McGeough. The members meet once a month and review applications for assistance and funding by the foundation. Vig has been with the foundation for about the past seven years.
Its kind of intentionally picked based on people who are in the know about whats happening to families in town, Vig explained, as to the makeup of the board membership. Such as Elkton, Volga, just so we can get more knowledge based on whats happening in communities: like if we hear that a family has a sick child or a child born with issues.
When such a child is identified, often by word of mouth, a board member will reach out and let the family know what the foundation can do to help. That being said, Vig noted: If I start with a family, I become their contact. Its so crazy that there are families in town that dont know what we do. But with rising health-care costs, you want to make sure that people have the ability (to know what the foundation does). We do a lot of emailing in the time that were not meeting.
Plus, the media has been wonderful and we can help people sooner, she added. We help with anything that they want that will help with their childs (medical needs). Gas and meals, we do a lot of.
But its up to the family. We pay them directly. They have to provide receipts and prove that they had an appointment that day. Hotel stays, some people want just that because thats coming out of their credit cards or debit cards or whatever and they want that right away.
In the payment of medical bills, Vig noted that the foundation has some bargaining power: Some people do only medical and then we pay the hospital or clinic directly or whatever it is. Well cover anything that involves that child: what they can turn in, that they can prove.
The next thing in dealing with several of the hospitals, our treasurer calls the hospital directly and tries to work it out if we pay cash today, theyll give a cut: 20% or whatever it might be and take it off the bill because were going to pay a chunk of it at one time.
The usual allocation for foundation assistance is $7,500 per child up to age 18. Each and every application is decided by the board of directors. Dollars are not given upfront; reimbursement is made after the fact, when receipts are turned in.
Vig noted that donations and fundraisers are the foundations only source of income. Were just getting into, what if we did some more corporate donors to join. Were kind of trying to build that, because there are more and more sick kids. And $7,500 person goes pretty quickly. The foundation recently had its first corporate donor.
Over its 41 years of service existence, the foundation has provided a total of about $233,000 in financial assistance to 215 children who have suffered a catastrophic illness. One of those children is 1-year-old Beau Schwans.
Helping Beau get better
Beau, 1 year old as of July 19, is the son of Jordan Schwans and Ashley Hendricks. During 31 days in October and November, Beau was hospitalized in Sioux Falls.
He turned 3 months old, got his first cold., his mother explained. I had taken him in a couple times. Just a cold, we thought. He had very mild symptoms, just a runny nose to start with. And then, it was a Friday night; he cried all night long. I just said something is not right; something is wrong.
So I took him to the Brookings ER Saturday morning. The staff were phenominal.
What we thought was his first cold turned into bacterial meningitis real quickly. We ended up down at Sanford Childrens Hospital for 31 days. A Sanford physician told Hendricks her son was a really, really sick little boy. He was diagnosed with homophiles influenzae, described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as serious bacterial infection, especially in children younger than 5 years old.
With the help of sophisticated diagnostic procedures, testing and treatment with very strong antibiotics, Beau fought back and won. Today Hendricks describes her son as a happy, healthy, little boy developing back on track. He is thriving today. He is one resilient and determined little boy. And a happy little guy.
I stayed with Beau all 31 days (from Oct. 21 through Nov. 20) in his room, Hendricks said of her stay in Sioux Falls. I didnt leave, didnt come home. Jordan traveled back and forth quite a bit. So he would come down from work and then go back at night.
Meanwhile, Ayla, Beaus 5-year-old sister, stayed with Hendricks parents, who live in Brookings. For all 31 days, just to keep her in a normal routine, her mother said. And she did come to visit her baby brother.
Hendricks had been on the giving end of the foundation; now she would be on the receiving end: Id always done like the raffle tickets and supported the foundation the past few years just through them. I never thought I would be needing them.
She explained she got the word about the foundation from family members on her mothers side and who were on the board of directors: They reached out and said, Just remember the Kelly McGeough foundation is there if you need us or when you need us.
The foundation covered travel, Hendricks explained. The gas expense was a huge one that they did and some food expenses. They were kind and generous and they even covered a few of our hospital bills that werent covered by our insurance.
Total given by the foundation for expenses: Thousands, Hendricks said. Three-thousand, maybe. We kept track of all our receipts and then filled out the form. It was a generous amount that we were thankful for.
At 5 p.m. Monday, a fundraising event for the Kelly McGeough Foundation is being held at Cubbys Sports Bar & Grill, 307 Main Ave., in downtown Brookings. Partial proceeds from food sales will be donated to the foundation.
Contact John Kubal at [email protected].
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