Raffle supports Weekley through medical costs

By: 
Nathan Steele

“The outpouring of love, support, and prayers from this community has been amazing,” said Josie Weekley. Weekley is the Tech teacher at the Hermosa school and is active in the United Methodist church in Fairburn. She is also a volunteer firefighter for Fairburn, but has had to take a leave of absence due to a recent heart surgery.
Weekley has been facing a decline in her health in the past few years as she is now dealing with chronic migraines which progressed from episodic migraines. This past summer, she had a hemiplegic migraine episode which causes stroke-like symptoms.  
After this episode, she went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. where she discovered she has a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), which the American Heart Association explains is a type of hole in the heart which fails to close after birth.
In January, Weekley had surgery to close the PFO in hopes that it would  decrease the frequency and severity of her migraine episodes. She says the surgery went well, but that the migraines have not yet decreased. She has one more follow-up appointment at Mayo in July and is still hoping to find the right treatment option.
To offset the costs of this medical care, a raffle has been organized and tickets are on sale at the Fairburn Fire Department, Pop’s Grocery Shoppe and the Hermosa School. The tickets are $10 each and a few of the prizes include a $100 Pop’s Grocery Shoppe giftcard, a Custer State Park pass fun pack or a Ruger 204 scope package deal.
Weekley says that it has been “humbling” to be on the recieving end of so much support and giving from the community.
Delia Johnson, who is a neighbor of Weekley and also goes to the same church, is one of the organizers of the raffle. Johnson said the raffle has been a community effort.
Weekley “has been an integral part of the community” and is “always the first person to pitch in to help,” so the raffle is one way to give back, said Johnson.
The raffle will be drawn on May 18 at the Hermosa School’s pops concert.
“I cannot even begin to express the amount of gratitude I have for each person who has sent up prayers, given donations, and purchased raffle tickets. I am so blessed to live in such a wonderful place,” said Weekley.

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