April 12, 2000

School community rallies behind student's struggle

Picnic for Hailey benefits Cherry Knoll third-grader battling inoperable brain cancer

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
       On a Friday morning in January, Hailey Hall-Overholt was a typical third-grade school girl. But some suspicious motor skill problems and eye blurring that had been noticed the week before prompted her mother, Kim Hall-Holcomb, to take her eight year old to the emergency room that evening. Doctors were immediately concerned and ordered tests.
      The results were quick and absolute: cancer - brain tumor - inoperable. Dreaded words that shattered a family and started a long journey for healing that now has Hailey undergoing alternative treatments in Houston, Texas.
      Her mother and father, David Overholt, have been with her full time since the diagnosis. The demands of jobs, meetings, bills and even their other children pale by comparison to the immediate crisis facing Hailey. Since that fateful weekend, they have traveled to the best medical centers in cities around the country hoping for a miracle, but found none.
      Then Hall-Holcomb's research on the Internet turned up a final hope. They immediately enrolled Hailey in a program at the S. R. Burzynski Research Institute in Houston, where intensive nutritional therapy is used to fight cancer.
      Hall-Holcomb and Overholt's life has shrunk to a hotel room in Houston and hospital visits with Hailey as they struggle to pull her through. A recent battle with pneumonia, where Hailey's indomitable spirit helped pull her through, was the most recent crisis.
      "Both have been down there full-time with her since the beginning, on 20-hour days," said Kevin Hall of Traverse City, Hall-Holcomb's brother and a devoted uncle to Hailey. "They are handling it together, it's a team effort."
      The team helping Hailey is not limited to her parents. Spontaneously, the Cherry Knoll Elementary school community pulled together around the popular girl, who her homeroom teacher describes as 'everyone's best friend' and someone who 'always had something positive to say.' Hailey's homeroom classmates in Mary Courson's class keep up a steady flow of cards and recently sent a video of their school day for her to enjoy.
      "The kids don't forget her, we start our day off with an update," Courson said. "We did a class quilt and waited for Hailey's square before we sent it off to be put together."
      The school's Girl Scout troop started a Hearts for Hailey button campaign, which has already raised more than $1,000 for the family. Most of the staff, teachers, and students at the school sport one and sales at locations around town have been brisk.
      "At NorthPeak where I work we've gone through at least 70 hearts," noted Kevin Hall, who recently returned from a visit with Hailey in Houston. "Even when we ran out of them, people still gave me money for Hailey."
      The community has also formed Friends of Hailey, which is sponsoring a fund-raiser for Hailey this Saturday, April 15, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Cherry Knoll Elementary School. All proceeds from the Picnic for Hailey will help Hailey's family pay for the alternative medical treatments, which are not covered by insurance and cost at least $8,000. (This figure does not count the cost of staying and living in Houston, lost wages from jobs and other expenses of daily life.)
      The Picnic for Hailey includes a silent auction that features items from local businesses, who quickly and generously opened their wallets to help the family. Donated items range from a gourmet dinner and overnight stay at the Park Place Hotel (minimum bid $1,800) to tires to grills to autographed T-shirts. In addition, parents at the school or area businesses have donated all the food for the fund-raiser.
      "The community has been very generous and supportive with donations, we have pages of items donated," said Rene Hoch, the secretary at the school who is helping to coordinate the fund-raiser. "We are a close school and so many people have asked how they can help."
      For more information on the Picnic for Hailey or Hearts for Hailey, contact Rene Hoch at 933-8940. Donations are welcome even if you cannot attend the picnic and can be sent to Friends of Hailey, c/o Rene Hoch, Cherry Knoll Elementary School, 1800 Three Mile Road North, Traverse City, Michigan 49686.