Get a Burger, Help Local 7-Year-Old Who Faces Open Heart Surgery

A Hiram business is helping a local 7-year-old boy who is facing an open heart operation later this month — his third major surgery in two months, according to his mom.

A fundraiser for Bastian Pethel is scheduled May 13 at Cheeseburger Bobby's with a percentage of the day's sales going to help the family pay bills.

Bastian has a condition called pulmonary atresia, “where the pulmonary value was missing at birth and caused the artery to not develop properly,” mother Michelle Pethel said in an email to Patch.

Bastian has open heart surgery planned for May 16. He’s already endured surgeries in February and April, the last one an emergency appendectomy.

Michelle Pethel said Cheeseburger Bobby’s owner John Gulledge followed the family’s struggles on Facebook and reached out to say they could have a fundraiser at his store.

“I am beyond thankful for what they are doing for us and our son,” Michelle Pethel said. “We will have raffles and a prayer board for people to sign up on. They have told us to do what we want. They just want to help.”

Cheeseburger Bobby’s is located at 5077 Jimmy Lee Parkway in Hiram. The money raised will go into an account for the boy.

Bastian will be at the restaurant from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Mom says Bastian “is scared and worried about many things, but has found comfort in knowing people are praying for him.”