CALEDONIA—It started with a phone call the Sunday following Caledonia’s highly successful chili cookoff, organized by the Knights of Columbus (KOC) – local resident Paul Gross had read the event coverage and wanted to make a donation to one of the event’s benefactors, 15-year-old Avery Webster.
Avery, who has lived with her adopted parents Gary and Joanne Webster since she was three weeks old, suffers from several conditions, including Seckel Syndrome, a form of dwarfism that leaves her with a “very small head compared to the rest of her body,” according to Joanne, who added that the condition also limits how big Avery’s body can ultimately grow.
In addition, Avery suffers from total blindness in her right eye and partial blindness in her left, is non-verbal, and is incontinent. She lives in a busy home, as the Websters are parents to a family of nine; five adopted, and four of those with special needs.
Joanne noted that Avery’s vision problems arose in 2016 after experiencing a double detached retina and double detached cataract in both eyes. Avery underwent surgery at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, but doctors were only able to partially repair vision in her left eye.
In addition to her medical issues, Avery requires constant supervision, as she has a tendency to self-injure.
“In 2016 it got worse. She bites her knees or punches herself, or pulls out her hair, or bites her hands, or punches herself in the face, or hits her head off the walls,” said Joanne. “In her bedroom, we’ve padded the walls and padded the floor, so she has a safe place to play.”
A write-up of each recipient included in the chili cook off coverage noted that a lift would help Avery’s family in their day-to-day life, leading the Gross family to reach out to their daughter Caroline, knowing that she was in possession of a manual lift that belonged to her late husband that she was looking to donate.
“Our condolences go out to Caroline and the Gross family with the recent loss of their loved one, however, every story has a silver lining,” said cookoff organizer Mike Zyma. “And as fate has it, one family’s loss results in a very special gift for a little girl and her family. Thank you to the Gross family for your bravery and charity to reach out to us and help this less fortunate family in need of our support.”
Joanne noted, “Now that we have the lift … I’ll be able to manage her into her bath, and into her wheelchair on my own, which is a great thing, because I can’t lift her easily to get her from place to place. I’ll be able to be more independent with her without having to yell ‘can someone help me.’ It will make day-to-day life with Avery a little easier.”
She said the donation was extremely appreciated.
“I’m amazed by a stranger’s generosity.… It was donated to her, so she wanted to pass it forward. I think that’s a great thing. She didn’t want recognition for it; she said she’s always been taught to not seek out recognition when you do something nice, but just to do it for the heck of it.”
In addition to the lift, Avery’s family received a $10,000 cheque from the KOC, which they will put toward paying for extended PSW care. Currently, Avery receives enough funding to provide about 20 hours of care a week, with any additional care coming from the Webster’s pockets.
“She gets one-on-one help at school, which is great, but we have to do the same thing at home. If it’s not me, it’s her dad, and if it’s not him, sometimes her older siblings, but they all have full-time jobs so trying to get them to help is not always easy,” explained Joanne.
She said that the family currently has another foster child in their care who is “even more medically fragile” than Avery, but due to privacy rules, they cannot share more information about the child other than “we’ve had him his whole life.”
She added, “I don’t have a job outside the home. This is what we do.… Our lives revolve around the kids.”
Currently, Avery is recovering from a surgery on both feet last week, where she had her Achilles tendons lengthened and a “tendon swap” to straighten her feet out, in the hopes that it will allow Avery to support herself more fully while standing.
While their hands remain full, the Webster family’s hearts remain fuller, bolstered by the donation of a stranger they never met, who went out of their way to make life just a little bit easier.
