Christmas came a bit early for the Anderson family in Stansbury Park this year.
On Friday, Eric and Brenda Anderson, and their son, Sean, had a visit from the Tooele Transcript Bulletin — and Santa Claus — to receive gifts and cash donations given by readers through the newspaper’s 39th annual Christmas benefit fund.
The family, who is experiencing medical and financial hardship, received a check for $5,000 and a date night for Eric and Brenda, who provide nearly around-the-clock care to Sean, 20, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy and autism. The date night includes limousine transportation, dinner at the Red Iguana in Salt Lake City and tickets to a movie.
Also, the Stansbury High School drama program will provide a reader’s theatre experience for Sean, who enjoys being read to but is now bedridden due to the progressive muscle-wasting disease.
Eric said the funds will either be used toward dental care for Brenda, who needs dental implants, or solar panels to help offset the family’s electric bill. With Sean connected to a feeding tube and ventilator, the Andersons utility bills can reach up to $300 a month. Eric works for Auric Solar.
“An ongoing expense that kills us is our power costs,” Eric said. “All this stuff runs 24/7.”
If the Andersons use the donations toward solar panels, it could help them reduce a monthly expense that eats up a lot of their budget, according to Eric.
“That would free up a bunch of money,” he said. “It’s going to help a lot, one way or another.”
Sean also received an early Christmas present from his parents — a six-week old Siberian husky puppy named Laika. Brenda was a little hesitant to get a new dog after the family’s former pet passed but wanted to accommodate Sean’s wishes.
“She’s very cute,” Brenda said. “It makes Sean happy, that’s how it happened.”
The Andersons have been focused on providing care and comfort for Sean, who outlived most doctors’ projections that he would only live to 16 years old. His Duchenne muscular dystrophy means Sean lacks dystrophin, a protein that keeps muscle cells intact.
Sean was only able to walk for a few years, starting when he was 4 years old, and it involved years of physical and occupational therapy. As his condition worsened, Sean was restricted to an electric wheelchair, then eventually the hospital bed in his room.
He was attached to a feeding tube six years ago and a ventilator four years ago after it became more difficult for him to breathe and swallow. He requires around- the-clock care, provided by his parents and nurses, to provide suction when saliva builds up, to clean him and attend to his toileting needs.
Sean’s lifelong medical battle has also taken a medical and financial toll on his parents, who have incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.
The Transcript Bulletin readership donations will help the family meet some of their needs they couldn’t afford, according to Eric and Brenda.
“We want the community to know how much we appreciate this,” Eric said. “It’s not the first time the community in Tooele has come together to help us out and it means a lot.”
“Thank you so much,” Brenda said. “It’s really appreciated.”