SCOTIA, N.Y. -- In February 2016, Dave Allen got the news he had been waiting 10 year for: He was finally getting a kidney transplant.
“We thought life was going to turn around for the good," said Cathy Allen, Dave’s wife. "Unfortunately seven months afterward we were fighting a new battle.”
That new battle was cancer, diagnosed in September 2016. To fight the disease, Dave has to travel to Dartmouth-Hitchcock hospital in New Hampshire for treatment.
“He’s fighting like crazy to stay with us and to go through his treatments as strong as he can,” Cathy said.
With medical costs and travel expenses quickly piling up, the community decided to step in. On Saturday, village residents, also known as Dave's Army, held a fundraiser for the man they say is a pillar in the community as a little league coach and board member.
“These are our neighbors," said Heidi Countermine, an organizer of the fundraiser. "It’s really important for us to be together as a community and do something for a family that means so much to us.”
Organizers are hoping to raise $15,000 through donations, raffles, and other events. By late afternoon, that goal seemed to have been surpassed with the turnout better than anticipated.
“We’re just happy we have such a great community of people,” said Ryan Allen, Dave’s son.
While Dave still has a long road ahead with more doctor visits and chemotherapy, the community wants him and his family to know they are not in this alone.
“He feels it really is taking a village to get him better and he wants to get better for everyone,” Cathy Allen said.
If you would like to help, you can make a donation at the First National Bank of Scotia through the Dave Allen Benefit Fund.