September 10, 2003
Concert benefits Boursaw family
Friends, family and strangers offer aid to Old Mission man
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
When your health goes out the window and your finances tank because of it, getting by can be a matter of community - a lot of help from your friends.
And family.
And complete strangers.
Tim and Jane Boursaw have experienced an outpouring of love and support over the past few months as Tim began having severe health problems. For four decades, Hepatitis C had silently ravaged his liver, the result, doctors said, of a chance childhood infection.
Five months ago, the killer surfaced and Boursaw began a round of doctor's visits, tests and uncertainty. The diagnosis of extensive and irreversible liver damage requiring a transplant ended the uncertainty but brought a new list of worries.
Listed for a liver transplant in early August, cancerous tumors set a six-month clock ticking. After that, Boursaw's health would be too compromised to withstand the transplant and he would be taken off the list. If that happened, the father of two young children would be given 18 months to live.
The family waited on a razor's edge for the call that would summon them to surgery. Five days later it came and he and an infant shared a liver, each surviving the arduous transplant surgery and moving to a new round of adjustments, tests and medications.
Tim's wife, Jane, a freelance writer working in national markets, squeezed out what work she could during the months of his illness. With lengthy stays in Ann Arbor and caring for her husband and family, her productivity plummeted over the months. Bills and stress mounted as the couple began to worry about losing their home. Savings earmarked for property taxes, mortgage payments and living expenses had evaporated.
In stepped friends and members of the couple's large, extended families, who organized a benefit concert Sunday at the Old Mission American Legion Hall. The event featured music, food, a silent auction and children's games. So far, $6,100 has been raised for the couple, buying them some breathing room for healing.
"It is really heartwarming to see a community come together like this," said Jane Boursaw. "Aside from our situation, which is totally overwhelming, it gives you hope that people in our society still pull together in this way."
Accepting help can be a challenge, Boursaw noted, but she and her husband have realized that people want to help, are eager to reach out.
"Most people like to feel self-contained and self-sufficient, but a crisis brings it all home that you don't have to be, and that it's not necessarily healthy to be that way," she said, adding that they have been humbled by the support.
Members of the family's church, the Old Mission Peninsula United Methodist Church, also stepped in to help. Some of the help was easy - many volunteers recounted they just mentioned the situation and money, auction items and band commitments began pouring in. As word spread, people began calling to offer whatever they could.
"It is hard to ask for help, I know," said Terry Hooper, a Peninsula Township resident and family friend. "But it is amazing how it has come in. There must be 20 donations from people who don't even know Tim and people would stop by my market and just hand me checks."
"It is just absolutely wonderful, all that has gone on here," Hooper noted. "I am overwhelmed by the generosity."
Donations to help the family of Tim Boursaw will be accepted by the Old Mission Peninsula United Methodist Church, 16426 Center Road, Traverse City, Michigan, 49686. Checks may be made out to the church, please note on the envelope and on the check that the funds are for the Boursaw family.