WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (ABC 4 News) - Last June, a horrifying accident left a Utah boy severely injured and disfigured. The family's pet, a retired police dog, inexplicably attacked little Kaleb Wayne and mauled the child. Now, family and friends are mounting an effort to help raise money for what they’re calling “Kaleb’s Cause.”
Since last June, surgeons have been working to restore the boy’s face and head to as normal a state as possible. All that medical attention and expertise come at a very high price.
"We're just so very grateful that Kaleb is still here with us,” says Kaleb’s mother, Tina, as she bounces her energetic two year-old on her lap. “Medical bills aside, we'll just deal with that as it comes along."
All the determination this devoted mother can muster won’t set aside hundred of thousands of dollars in medical bills.
"They had to basically put everything on his face back together for him,” she explains, showing no signs of the emotional trauma she endured, watching her son suffer for months after the attack. “He had several severe wounds from the neck up."
Skin grafts to Kaleb's head, reconstruction of an ear, and repair of his eyelids were only part of the work that has been done. And through it all, the little boy seems not even to notice the scars of the life-altering incident.
"That's kind of what brings the family strength,” says Tina. “He just wants to play. He wants to be a normal two year-old. He wants to have fun."
Now, a special concert for Kaleb is in the making. It is being organized to raise money for this brave little boy and his family.
The “Hope for Kaleb” benefit concert will take the stage Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at Hunter High (4200 South 5600 West in West Valley City.) There is a silent auction before the concert at 6:00 p.m.
