Scare on the Square benefits pediatric cancer support organization
Jake and Krysten Sheffield with their sons, Gunner (left) and Ryker. Krysten’s parents, Trace and Catlin, who own Trailblazer Grille in Burnet, are hosting Scare on the Square to raise funds for Lotus Events. The nonprofit assisted the Sheffields following Ryker’s cancer diagnosis about two years ago. The murder-mystery event is 7 p.m. Saturday, October 19, at the restaurant, 216 S. Main St. in Burnet. Courtesy photo
STAFF WRITER JENNIFER FIERRO
In a matter of minutes almost two years ago, the lives of Ryker Sheffield’s family changed.
His mother, Krysten, noticed the 2-year-old boy was coughing and having trouble breathing. Thinking it was simply a routine respiratory issue, she took Ryker to a doctor. That doctor immediately made an appointment for the toddler to see a specialist.
When examining the X-ray with the doctor, Krysten, who was in the Army and has some medical knowledge, noticed she couldn’t see her son’s organs.
That’s when the doctor told her, “There’s a tumor that’s covering his chest cavity.”
Medical personnel immediately started Ryker on chemotherapy and wouldn’t let him lie down because they thought the tumor would spread into his esophagus and cut off his breathing.
Krysten, who was seven months pregnant with the couple’s second child and seven weeks away from college graduation, stopped everything to take care of Ryker, who was often in the hospital for weeks at a time. Her husband, Jake, kept working as much as he could to support the family.
But the reality is that expenses such as gasoline to drive back and forth to the hospital, hotel stays, and food are extras that most families can’t afford.
“It was definitely a challenge for us,” said Trace Catlin, Krysten’s father. “Outside the emotional devastation, you feel helplessness.”
That’s why Lotus Events, a Houston-based nonprofit, is a tremendous help to families like the Sheffields and why Krysten asked her parents Trace and Liz, who own Trailblazer Grille in Burnet, to organize a fundraiser for the organization.
The sixth annual Scare on the Square, a murder-mystery fundraiser, is 7 p.m. Saturday, October 19, at the restaurant, 216 S. Main St. in Burnet. The costumed gala is $30 a person and includes a four-course meal with a choice of steak or salmon. Attendees can arrive at 6:30 p.m. to preview auction items.
“They don’t get a lot of support,” Trace Catlin said of Lotus Events. “They do offset costs parents incur with transportation in driving kids back and forth, paying the electric bill, and all sorts of expenses. We never would have thought of stuff like that until it hit our family.”
Ryker, who will be 4 in March, is in remission and Krysten is back in college with the intention of graduating in the next several weeks.
“My grandson is almost back to being a normal child,” Trace Catlin said with a smile.
He remains grateful for those blessings, and his family wants to be there for other families much like Lotus was there for his. That’s why he and his wife promptly agreed to host the fundraiser.
Call Trailblazer Grille at (512) 756-7636 for tickets or more information.
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Great article Jennifer; thank you!