Charlie's Benefit

I wish we lived in a country where people didn’t have to hold Chinese Auctions and chicken barbeques to pay for medical expenses. Unfortunately, if you’re a working class parent, you’re often forced to absorb a significant chunk of the expenses when your child is deathly ill or the victim of a horrible tragedy.

Nineteen month old Baby Charlie is currently in the ICU of Women’s and Children’s Hospital. He was rushed there after having been found unconscious in an inflatable pool at his West Seneca home.

His recovery will require years of extensive therapy and rehabilitation. Unfortunately, the health insurance carrier does not provide the necessary coverage needed for his recovery.

Charlie’s story is tragic and not all that uncommon.

The boy, whose name was withheld by police, was playing about 5:30 p.m. with his toys in a “Florida room” attached to the back of the family’s garage on Southwood Drive while his parents were nearby cleaning the garage, West Seneca Police reported.

The boy wandered through a door into his backyard and fell over the edge into the soft-sided pool.

When his parents went to check on him in the “Florida room,” he was not there and they began a frantic search for him with the help of neighbors.

The boy’s father found him unresponsive in the 3-foot high swimming pool in about 20 inches of water, according to Assistant Police Chief Daniel Denz.

“There was no foul play involved,” Denz said. “It appears it’s just a tragic accident.”

If you can find a few spare dollars in your wallet for this family, it would mean the world to them. Please extend your support if you are able.