ARLINGTON — Two groups in need were the beneficiaries of an outpouring of support from their neighbors and the community at large.
Car wash for Mason Garka
Motorists were lining up at 11 a.m.,
July 19, to get their cars washed by volunteers at the Arlington Haggen Food and Pharmacy, and drop some money in the bucket on behalf of Mason Garka.
Mason is the one-month old son of former Arlington residents Greg and Kelsey Garka. He was born June 20 with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare heart defect. HLHS is an underdevelopment of the left ventricle of the heart. In most cases, it requires multiple surgeries to repair.
Both Greg and Kelsey are Arlington High School graduates, and Greg served as a firefighter in Arlington from 1998-2000. Nearly 100 drivers had passed through the car wash, eaten hot dogs and donated money by the time he and Kelsey arrived at the Arlington Haggen, before 1 p.m., and they both expressed their gratitude to the community.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect,” said Greg Garka, watching a crew of more than 15 volunteers soap up and hose down a line of cars in the parking lot. “We’ve gotten a lot of support from family, friends and our church.”
Mason has already undergone his first surgery, and can look forward to two more, the next at six months old, and the last at two years old. The Garkas found out about their child’s condition when Kelsey was 20 weeks pregnant, and Greg admitted that coping has been a challenge.
“At first you feel helplessness and disbelief,” Greg said. “Your initial reaction is to ask why, but you have to be strong for your kid. We’ll deal with any obstacles that come down the road but we couldn’t do it without the support we’ve received.”
Proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward doctor bills, as well as medical and living expenses, for the Garkas’ stay at the Seattle Children’s Hospital. A benevolence fund has been set up in Kelsey and Greg Garka’s name at Washington Mutual, and Haggen has donated all the food items for the barbecue. For updates on Mason’s progress, log onto www.masongarka.com.
Barbecue for residents
of burned triplex
The friends and family of the Garkas weren’t the only ones serving up hot dogs for charity July 19, as the residents of the burned-out triplex on 202 Jackson Street received their own fundraiser in Haller Park.
The fire was called in at 1:15 a.m., July 15, after Alex Butler, a young man driving by, saw flames coming from the roof of one of the units of the triplex.
“I was driving this girl home, and we only drove that way because we wanted to stop by McDonald’s on our way,” Butler said. “When I saw the flames, I revved the engine, honked the horn and yelled, but nobody answered, so I called 911.”
Butler’s noise woke up two residents who were able to exit the premises on their own, but he had to take matters into his own hands on behalf of three of the triplex’s other residents.
“Once I got in, I couldn’t even see my own car because of the smoke,” Butler said. “I asked if anybody was in there, and I heard one woman say, ‘I’m disabled,’ so I told her, ‘I’m going to kick down your door, if that’s okay.’”
The woman was Diana French, who has suffered from both fibromyalgia and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, the combined effect of which has left her in crutches. Butler retrieved both French and her stepson, 9-year-old Justin Sonne, before kicking down a second door.
French and her fellow triplex tenant, Kevin Jacobson, both received complimentary three-night stays at the Smokey Point Hawthorn Inn. Jacobson has since moved in with his nephew in town, while French was given a five-day extension due to her disability.
French lost almost all of her possessions, including a motorized scooter that a friend had given to her as a gift, and a Tempur-Pedic mattress that she credited with helping her deal with the symptoms of her medical condition. Jacobson walked out of the house with nothing more than his wallet, his car keys and the clothes on his back.
French lives on a fixed income of $600 a month, while Jacobson is a utility worker, who was handed a box of clothes and a box of food by his coworkers at K and D Services.
French’s mother, Robin Throne, thanked the Marysville Grocery Outlet for supplying them with hundreds of dollars in gift cards, which helped make the barbecue fundraiser possible.
Arlington Support Unit 46 and the Snohomish County Red Cross have assisted those who have been impacted by the fire, and the First Heritage Bank in Arlington is accepting donations on behalf of the victims.
