IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
An airplane hangar concert in Chino on July 23 will raise funds for the family of twin boys, one of whom was born with the congenital defect hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). The 3-month-old infant, Chase Smith, was on the heart transplant waiting list at Loma Linda University Medical Center and in a surprise twist, unexpectedly received a transplant on July 16.
“The doctors had said the average wait list time was four to six months,” said Cameron Smith, the father of Chase and his twin brother Brayden. “It was beyond a miracle that it happened that quickly.” After the successful transplant, “The chances of him to live into adulthood are a lot better as long as he makes it into this first month,” Smith said on the Lou Desmond & Company radio program this week. “He’ll have a transplant every 20 years and medications daily, but other than that, a normal life.”
Smith and the boys’ mother Taylor Buckley, both 23, are responsible for costs related to Chase’s pulmonary banding surgery, ongoing care in the neonatal intensive care unit, and future costs related to the heart transplant and aftercare. Smith is employed as a line service agent by Threshold Technologies/Threshold Aviation Group in Chino, which is holding the fundraiser.
The hangar concert fundraiser will be held inside Hangar 3 of Threshold Aviation Group, located on the grounds of Chino Airport at 8352 Kimball Avenue. The July 23 event is from 6 PM to midnight; local rock performers Shane O’Brien and Creature of Mercy will perform. Tickets can be purchased at the door; the $25 admission fee includes one food ticket and two drink/beer tickets. “We’re also going to do a silent auction, a bike raffle and a 50/50 raffle to raise money for them,” said Nicole DiLullo, Director of FBO Operations at Threshold Aviation Group.
“Everyone at Threshold has been super supportive,” Smith said. “It brings out the best in everybody.”
In addition to the hangar concert event, donations to the family can be made at www.Facebook.com/ChaseStrong or www.GoFundMe.com/ChaseStrong16.
