Fundraisers Planned For Oxford Girl Who Needs Transplant

A nationally known comedian will be in Oxford Jan. 18 to help raise funds for 10-year-old Chelsea Wheeler, who needs a transplant.

Comedian Dave Reilly, who has appeared on MTV, Fox and in Las Vegas, will appear at the Colonial Tavern, 24 Hawley Road, Oxford for the event that starts at 8 p.m. on Jan. 18.

Tickets are $25 each. Pay by check payable to COTA with in Honor of ChelseaW” in the memo line. For credit card payments please email chris.chelseaw@gmail.com. Call Chris Wheeler at 203 – 954-8807 for more information about tickets.

Other fundraisers include a silent auction dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Inn at Villa Bianca, 312 Roosevelt Drive, Seymour.

Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for those under the age of 12.

On Saturday, March 1, at 7 p.m. there will be a fundraiser for Chelsea at the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The Tigers will be playing the Worcester Sharks. Tickers are $25 each.

Chelsea, who was recently featured on CNN, is a fifth-grader at Center School and is the daughter of Linda and Chris and sister to Haley, 15, Casey, 14, Nick, 12 and Julia, 6.

Chelsea needs a life-saving small bowel transplant and an effort has been started to raise $65,000 in 12 months so that she can have the surgery. Organizers said that so far more than $45,000 has been raised for Chelsea. She has been diagnosed with chronic intestinal pseudo obstruction. She has been unable to eat and relies on intravenous feedings to live.

Chelsea’s mom Linda said her daughter has had health-related issues since birth and has undergone more than 30 surgeries. She will eventually undergo surgery at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where she will need to stay in the hospital for one to two months, and after she will be required to remain in Pittsburgh with her mother for an additional six months. 

Afterward, post-transplant care will require life-long medications that can cost into the thousands of dollars per month. 

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