BERLIN — The local area’s amazing kindness and generosity were on display again this week with a highly successful fundraiser for a special little guy that has captured the heart of the community.
Last May 21 started like any other for Alex Wood, then 4, who was a typical little boy preparing for another school day at Most Blessed Sacrament, but less than 24 hours later, his young life would change dramatically. His mother, Amy Wood, noticed something was a little odd with his left eye and made a mental note to make an eye appointment for Alex. Hours later, his teacher contacted Amy with concern about the eye and his apparent, though subtle, lack of balance.
Amy and Shawn Wood made an appointment with their pediatrician for an afternoon appointment that day. After an evaluation, the pediatrician advised Alex needed to be sent to the Johns Hopkins Children’s Emergency immediately to have an MRI to rule out a brain tumor or brain cancer. After a harrowing trip to Hopkins in Baltimore, the MRI confirmed the Woods’ worst fears.
Alex was diagnosed with a benign mass in the center of his brain and a neurosurgery team was assembled quickly to remove it. The surgery was successful and the mass was removed, but the challenges for Alex and his parents were only beginning. Alex spent one month in Pediatric ICU at Hopkins and another month at Kennedy Krieger Institute.
Little by little, the “old Alex,” as mom Amy often refers to him, began to shine through and the charming little guy with the gentle smile returned, but the battle was only just beginning for the Wood family. The surgery, while successful in removing the mass, has left Alex with several lifelong conditions that will require close monitoring and need to be managed.
One is Diabetes Insipidus (DI), a rare condition that requires the careful management of the balance of sodium and water in the body. In the 10 months since his diagnosis and surgery, Alex has had to endure routine blood draws, often multiple times per week, to check his sodium levels. The typical turnaround time is a day or two, which can seem like a lifetime when results are so critical.
A device called an I-Stat machine can allow Shawn and Amy to check Alex’s sodium levels at home with rapid results, but it is difficult to get and comes with a hefty price tag. Alex’s pediatrician, Dr. Jose Alvarado, helped the Woods find an I-Stat machine, but the total cost came in just shy of $11,000.
To that end, the local community was called on again to rally the troops and come to the assistance of the Woods. The Mr. and Mrs. Riccio Memorial Foundation generously donated funds to cover half of the cost of the I-Stat machine and the always generous local community came through with the rest with a highly successful fundraiser at Burley Oak in Berlin on Monday. Guest bartenders Katie Tyler and Amanda Strayer from M.R. Ducks organized the event along with several other long-time friends and the always popular Johnny Bling provided the entertainment.
Perhaps the only thing local residents enjoy more than a great party is an opportunity to rally for those in need in the community and Monday’s fundraiser for Team Alex at Burley Oak provided the perfect outlet for both. With Tyler and Strayer behind the bar pouring craft beers with the Burley Oak staff and Johnny Bling pumping out the music, hundreds gathered for the celebration, which was a rousing success.
Burley Oak generously donated a portion of the proceeds and at least half of the tips were added to the cause. There were also Chinese auctions for packages donated by the local business community, along with raffles, prize boards and other donation opportunities. When the dust settled, the goal had been reached and then some. Amy said on Tuesday she and Sean were stunned by the generosity of the community.
“We are so amazed by the outpouring of support for Team Alex,” she said. “Many thanks to Katie Tyler and Amanda Strayer, Burley Oak, Johnny Bling and all the donors of swag and all the people that came out and those who supported from afar.”
Wood said she wasn’t entirely surprised by the outpouring of support from the local community as she had seen it in action many times before in her roughly two decades in the resort area.
“In 1995, I spent my first summer in Ocean City and knew that this was a special place,” she said. “This town is like no other. It is full of people that truly care. We put Alex to bed and he said it was his best day ever. We have reached our goal to get the machine and we can’t thank everybody enough.”
With the donation from the Mr. and Mrs. Riccio Foundation and the local community coming through with the rest, the Woods will now be able to purchase the I-Stat machine and improve the quality of life for Alex, who continues to improve each day with his “new normal” as Amy calls it. But the Team Alex effort does not stop with the goal of obtaining the machine reached. Amy and Sean are in the process of setting up a foundation in Alex’s name with the goal of supporting brain tumor research and aiding families in similar situations. In the meantime, Amy has set up a website at www.goalexgo.com with links on how to donate and pay it forward along with updates on Alex’s condition and progress.
