Community pulls together to aid family

On the Go

Alex Denton's story is a tragedy.

He was diagnosed with leukemia on July 3, 2008, and died two months ago. Alex was only 3.

For all of us who have children and grandchildren, it's hard to imagine anything worse than losing a child, especially a small child like Alex.

There can't be a more helpless feeling than the one experienced by Jennifer and Brian Denton and their families.

Others know that pain, too. But unless you've been through it, there's no way to even pretend you know what they face. Fortunately, I've been blessed to have never faced anything like it, and hope I never do.

But Alex's story, as sad as it is, has a positive side. It also makes you feel good about living here.

This side of the story revolves around people caring, genuinely caring, about friends. And in some cases, the caring came from people they did not know.

When Alex was diagnosed with the rare and aggressive form of leukemia, his parents obviously needed to be by his side during the 14-month stay at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

As Jennifer pointed out, the "community rallied around our family. Not just around my husband and me, but around our (6-year-old) daughter who had to stay behind" and other relatives.

"They stayed with us throughout every trial we faced," Jennifer added.

Fundraisers were organized in and around Muscle Shoals, and people volunteered to take care of their house, feed the pets and handle other tasks while the parents were away.

Alex was the honored patient during this year's Light the Night Walk at Wilson Park in Florence, an event Jennifer said raised $60,000 for cancer research.

On the day Alex passed away, the Muscle Shoals football team wrote Alex's name on their sleeves during the game. Also, a team of 25 runners have gotten together to participate in a Memphis marathon in December to raise money for St. Jude.

Obviously, dozens of other people in our community delivered nice gestures on behalf of Alex and his family. We'll never know exactly how many prayers were spoken on Alex's behalf.

Others who have faced similar tragedies in their lives likely have similar stories to tell. The community outpouring of love and respect must have helped Jennifer, Brian and the other parents through some incredibly tough moments.

No one had to be there for the Denton family. They chose to be there because they saw a neighbor hurting.

It makes you feel good about living in a community that has people who you know will be there for you.

Mike Goens can be reached at mike.goens@TimesDaily.com.