Papa John’s owner Chip Phelps (far left) is pictured with Colton Keech (in black), Colton’s parents, Skylar and Jennifer Keech, Colton’s brother, Braxton, and Mr. Slice.
A fundraiser to provide a prosthetic arm and myoelectric hand for 10-year-old Colton Keech of Hillsboro will be held at the Lake View Loft in Hillsboro from 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19.
Keech was born without his left arm because of amniotic band syndrome, and his insurance has denied requests for a myoeclectric hand and prosthetic arm.
“He doesn’t want a hand that’s just going to be basically like cups, and he can’t do anything with it,” said his mother, Jennifer Keech. “To be able to have fully functioning ability, he has to have a myoelectrical hand and our insurance company will not allow him to have that because they consider it investigational, and they feel as if he won’t benefit from having a second hand.”
Keech said her son is excited about the prospect of receiving the myoelectric hand. “When he’s at home he’ll just look at me and start swelling up with tears, and he’ll ask me if it’s really happening because once we got our last denial letter back in August, he just looked at me and he said, ‘I’m just never going to get it,’” she said. “Now that he’s seeing that it’s really coming together, he is ecstatic, and he called every one of his friends and told them about it, and he is really looking forward to it.”
She is also excited about the possibility of getting the device for Colton. “It’s brought me to tears a lot,” said Keech. “I’m so overjoyed with everything everybody is doing. I always promised him that I would do anything that I could for him, and to know that there is a community that stands behind him, it’s just astounding.”
Colton is in fifth grade at Hillsboro Elementary School, and he loves football and anything sports related. “He played football for the Hillsboro youth football team for two years, and his favorite football team is the San Francisco 49ers,” said Keech. He also enjoys video games, Legos and learning about anything related to space or science.
“He has taught me a part of life that I never knew I needed to know,” said Keech. “He’s shown me more about life and the way that there are so many possibilities and so many different options and ways to do things.”
The fundraiser is being organized by Chip Phelps, the owner of the recently opened Papa Johns restaurant in Hillsboro. “I can’t believe the insurance company was denying him saying he didn’t need an arm, so basically that’s what did it for me,” said Phelps. “I think it’s just a great cause, and it’s something that is, in my opinion, for the town of Hillsboro pretty simple to bring together and make this kid’s dream come true.”
Admission for those eating lunch or dinner at the fundraiser is $10 for adults, $5 for children and free to all others. The fundraiser will include silent auctions, a live auction of larger items, bouncy houses and games for children, and raffles.
Phelps said the total amount needed to be raised for the device is about $50,000.
Anyone wanting to make a donation or having questions about the fundraiser can contact Lisa Pitzer at 937-728-1635 or Denise Mootz at 513-313-1818.
Reach John Hackley at 937-402-2571.
