Have you ever reached the end of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and longed for the sort of support the good folks of Bedford Falls exhibit toward George Bailey?
For one Lawrenceville family, that lofty notion isn’t all that farfetched.
Mike and Lisa Lewis took their 15-year-old daughter, Grace, to the emergency room May 23 after debilitating pain in her leg and pelvis rendered her unable to walk. Upon running several tests, doctors found nodules in her lungs and a tumor alongside her spine. Grace was suffering from a rare cancer affecting 200 children and young adults each year, Ewing sarcoma.
“For all of my worries about what could happen to one of my children, I can honestly say cancer was never on the list!” said Lisa Lewis, who has three older daughters in addition to Grace.
Word quickly spread via social media as friends and family were alerted to Grace’s condition. Within days three fundraisers posted to a Facebook page specifically created to keep well-wishers in the loop on her prognosis. While one of the fundraisers was created by the Lewis’ eldest daughter, the other two were started by dancers attending the same studio as Grace and friends from her church youth group.
One of the people watching the situation unfold was comedian Charles Marshall of Dacula. “I found myself wishing there was something I could do to help the Lewises,” he said. “Then my wife said, ‘You know, you do this sort of thing for a living.’”
Marshall has used his stand-up talent to raise funds for numerous organizations across the country and will do so again July 14 for the Celebration of Grace Comedy Concert and Silent Auction. The event will be held at 7 p.m. inside the fellowship hall of North Metro Baptist in Lawrenceville, where the Lewis family attends church.
“All the money raised by this event will go directly to Grace and her family,” Marshall said. “This is a way for everyone to come together and show their love and support to someone in our community who’s hurting.”
Tickets are $15 and available at LifeWay Christian Store in Buford and online at celebrationofgraceconcert.com.