Shared concern: Community hasn’t forgotten ordeal of Carson Thomas

Thousands of dollars weren’t raised and thousands of people didn’t gather Thursday.

There wasn’t a lot of fanfare, and there were no crisp linens or fancy flower arrangements in sight.

But at the end of the pizza fundraiser for Greenwood Middle School student Carson Thomas and his family, $800 was raised and immeasurable amounts of support and concern filled the room.

And once again we are reminded just how often this county comes to the aid of one of its own — and why that support is so important.

Carson Thomas’ story is a tough one to hear. The accident that left him in a wheelchair stole some of the carefree childhood he deserved — and put before him a whole new set of challenges to overcome.

He is a teenager now on the verge of heading to high school — a rite of passage in anyone’s book. But that is a milestone he will have to wait for as his recovery continues.

Carson and his family have been through more in the last year than many of us will have to handle in a lifetime.

Thursday’s fundraiser was a chance for Carson’s family, friends, neighbors and complete strangers to remind him that there are people thinking of him every day — and that they have not forgotten the terrible circumstances that put him in his new life.

But as they mourned his losses, they also celebrated his improvements.

Carson is fighting back — and making steps forward every day.

And his community will continue to be there to cheer him on.

Published in Editorials on July 15, 2006 10:47 PM