Community Packs Pizza Shop To Help Jake Finkbonner
March 2, 2006
By April Zepeda
|
FERNDALE - For the first time, a Ferndale family is getting good news about their little boy who is fighting a flesh-eating bacteria. The news comes as the community digs into their wallets to help the 6-year-over recover.
When Papa Murphy's Pizza in Ferndale announced that 100 percent of their profits for the day would go to Jake Finkbonner, the community responded.
"These people fall behind each other so fast, with such big open hearts, it's wonderful," said customer Karen Hesketh.
The pizza restaurant was standing room only all day.
"And I thought the Super Bowl was busy, but this is even busier!" said employee Eric Creitz.
Six-year-old Jake was playing basketball February 18th when the ball hit him in the lip. Within 24 hours, his face swelled to more than twice its size.
The cut on his lip became infected with Type-A strep, the same bacteria that causes strep throat. But the Ferndale kindergartner's infection quickly became a fast-spreading case of necrotizing fasciitis sometimes called flesh-eating bacteria.
The bacteria gives off deadly toxins, the skin and soft tissue are slowly eaten away, and his own body's attempt to fight the infection produces severe swelling which can damage even more tissue.
To save his life, doctors have to remove the damaged tissue on his face, head, and neck to stave off the infection's constant advance.
Part of his treatment includes hours spent in the hyperbaric chamber at Virginia Mason in Seattle. That alone can cost as much as $7,000 a day.
But after weeks in the hospital, there is finally good news. Standing in line for pizza with everyone else, Jake's grandfather shared the bright spot in his grandson's horrific ordeal.
"We had a good report that his bacteria has subsided completely and now it's a slow recovery processes. So far, we feel very good about it," said Andy Ochoa.
But Jake has months of recovery ahead, huge medical bills and his parents have stopped working to stay at his side.
"We've been blessed and we thought it was our duty to bless him," said Papa Murphy's manager, Jeremy Lovelace.
On a normal weekday the restaurant would sell 150 pizzas. On this day, they sold twice that many in just one hour.
Through faith -- "I think it's just God working through all of us," said one customer -- and sheer numbers -- "It's really emotional," said another customer -- it's clear: Jake is not in this fight alone.
The family has established a fund to help pay for Jake's health care costs. You can donate at any Wells Fargo Bank or Industrial Credit Union.