About 15 years ago, two young boys receiving treatment at Children’s Hospital of Georgia started a friendship that would last their whole lives.
Howell Beman and William Chandler are in the International Baccalaureate program at the Academy of Richmond County and were tasked with a community service project. They chose to raise money for Children’s.
Kym Allen, manager of Child and Adolescent Life, talks to Beman and Chandler during a hospital visit when both were receiving treatment.
On Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, Beman, Chandler and Marley Faulkner – now freshmen in high school – presented Children’s with a check for $6,000 they raised to purchase medical toys and play items that Child Life can use to help children understand their illnesses and treatments.
It’s dear to Chandler’s heart because he was diagnosed with T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma when he was 2 years old.
“My dad felt something in my neck because I was standing in the (car) seat, and he grabbed me because I was falling. He felt something in my neck,” he said.
A biopsy determined the lump was cancer. For two years he received treatment at Children’s but said mostly, he remembers good times like eating orange sherbet in his hospital room.
Howell was also 3 years old when he was diagnosed with Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP), a blood disorder in which there are not enough platelets in the blood to cause the blood to clot. Howell said the condition was discovered after he had a minor fall and cut his head, but it wouldn’t stop bleeding.
He also went through many hospital visits and treatments. He will always have ITP but is better able to manage it with annual checkups.
Chandler, left, Howell and Faulkner worked in the kitchen at Soul City Pizza on a fundraising night, after which they received 10% of the sales.
Both said they are now healthy and active in a variety of sports.
Faulkner joined the project after her new baby brother was born in November. She said she takes comfort in knowing the Children’s Hospital is here to care for him if he ever needs it.
To raise the funds, Howell, Chandler and Faulkner sent out fundraising letters requesting donations. They also held a fundraising night at Soul City Pizza, where they bussed tables, washed dishes and served food for the evening and received 10% of the sales.
The trio said they were overwhelmed by the support they received for this project.
“(Children’s) helped me so much and treated me and kept up with me. To see that we can raise money to help kids like us and give them a shot at a better life is just an amazing thing,” Chandler said.
