Family of Little Girl with Leukemia Gets Huge TCBY Treat
When Barbara Black went to the TCBY on Spartanburg Highway on Saturday, she got more than a cup of frozen yogurt. She walked away with a new car.
Black is the mother of Brittany Hall, a 5-year-old girl currently battling leukemia at Mission Hospitals. The family lives in Tryon, which means they must drive an hour one way to take Brittany to the hospital for regular treatments. The distance was made all the more difficult when the family's car finally gave out.
That's when a number of local individuals and businesses stepped in to help provide the family with reliable transportation from Egolf Motors. On Saturday, TCBY held Brittany's Spirit Day where Black was given the keys to her new car, a low mileage 1999 Monte Carlo. The car sat out front of the frozen yogurt shop with a bright red ribbon on its hood.
The mom was in complete shock.
"It's like a dream. It's unreal. I had no idea. I did not," Black said. "It's going to help me get my daughter back and forth to the clinic where she needs to go. Right now she's in Mission Hospital. Sometimes we go twice a week, sometimes we go one time a week, sometimes we go four times a week. It all depends on what needs to be done and what her treatment is.This is wonderful."
The car was provided thanks to Dr. Roger and Linda Freed of TCBY, Scott Hooper of Rebath, Mark Brown of Egolf Motors, Chris and Shirley Drake of Celebrate Youth, and the Hendersonville Elks Lodge. Matthew and Jan Davis of Blue Ridge Landscaping and McCraw Welding also stepped up to provide the family with oil changes, tune ups and other car care services.
According to Linda Freed, the family has experienced more than its share of hard times. "Their car blew up about eight weeks ago. The husband died last year, so it's mom and three kids," said Freed, who is more affectionately known as Momma Freed. "They're driving from Tryon to Mission all the time to do treatments, so she would either have to borrow a car or the paramedics would have to take her up if it was an emergency."
Freed said she partnered with Hooper about a month ago to work on getting the family a new car. They have also been collecting donations to provide the family with a gift card to help pay for the gas. On Saturday, TCBY donated a portion of its proceeds to the family.
Hooper often visits with Brittany when she is at Mission. On Friday, he rode tricycles with Brittany in the hospital hallway to help her forget about her illness and allow her to just be a kid. Hooper said the 5-year-old is a fighter.
"Brittany had a feeding tube put in because she was losing weight, but they're looking to take the feeding tube out now. Today she ate pizza and Cheerios. Every 10 minutes, she's like, 'I'm hungry.' She was supposed to get out Friday, but it didn't work out, so hopefully Monday or Tuesday she'll get out of the hospital. She's a precious little girl."
Anyone wishing to help Brittany and her family can call the Freeds at 828-329-2670.
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