Catfish tourney for boy with rare disease nets 1,200 pounds
Sixteen teams of four turned out June 28-29 for the William Leach benefit catfish tournament. Nelson DeSpain of Team Extreme won the tournament with 292 pounds of fish. He then donated part of his winnings back to the Leach family. William Leach is a 1-year-old Llano boy suffering from the rare disease of congenital bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria syndrome. The community is also hosting a catfish fry fundraiser on Saturday, July 13, at the Llano Community Center. Photo courtesy of Libby Smarr
EDITOR’S NOTE: In an earlier version of this article, it was written that Nelson DeSpain donated part of his winnings to the family, but that was incorrect. He donated all of his winnings to the family. DailyTrib.com apologizes for the error.
The catfish were biting June 28-29 during the William Leach benefit tournament, which brought in more than 1,200 pounds of fish.
According to tournament organizers, 16 teams participated in the event, which was a fundraiser for William Leach and his family. The 1-year-old son of Cecil Leach and Desiree Fry of Llano suffers from the rare disease of congenital bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria syndrome. He and his family must make frequent trips to hospitals, including Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas in Austin and Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. He was diagnosed last October with the disease, which affects the outer surface of the brain.
The catfish tournament was the first local event benefiting William and his family.
Nelson DeSpain and Team Extreme won the tournament with a total weight of 292 pounds of catfish. DeSpain donated all of his winnings back to the family.
Tournament organizers asked anglers if they were willing to donate their catch to a July 13 catfish fry fundraiser for William and his family as well. The response was overwhelming.
Many anglers even skipped the weigh-in and just chose to donate their catfish for the July 13 event. There were a number volunteers standing by to clean the catfish for the upcoming event.
The William Leach Catfish Fry is Saturday, July 13, at the Llano Community Center, 2249 RR 152 West in Llano. The event is 6-11 PM and features catfish plates by donation, live and silent auctions, a baked good sale, and live music by Southern Underground. It is a BYOB event.
The William Leach Fund has also been established at Llano National Bank, which is accepting contributions.
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Nelson Despain donated all of his winning back.