3/29/2012
Sprint Source
Fund Raiser for My Friend Claude Whelchel
Fund Raiser for Claude Whelchel at SDS
(Chico, CA 3/29/12)…On April 6th at the Silver Dollar Speedway I am happy to announce that we will try and raise money for a super fan of the Speedway Claude Whelchel. I met Claude through the race track a few years ago. He and his wife, along with grandma, would come to the races every Friday night and sit in their same spots, middle of the grandstands about 15 rows up. Over the years we became friends and Claude would often walk up money to my both and give it to drivers or good causes that we were promoting at the speedway. As we became friends, Claude knew I needed work and offered me a job with his construction company. I worked with Claude on and off over the past three years.
Last year, Claude received a call that would change his life and his family’s life forever. He was told to head straight to the emergency room after a recent blood test showed that his platelet count was abnormal. Less than a week later, he was sent to UC Davis and diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Since then his medical bills have skyrocketed putting the family business and stability in financial jeopardy. After two rounds of chemotherapy I am happy to report the cancer has been wiped out. However, in the process, his bone marrow was basically destroyed. Now Claude needs to find a bone marrow match and will also have to pay for the upcoming surgery. Without the surgery, Claude’s body can not fight off the everyday normal infections that a person with normal bone marrow can withstand. His medical bills are astronomical and his insurance is not paying for most of it.
I have already accepted donations from MEEKS, JP’s Paint and Body Works and the Silver Dollar Speedway. I am still looking for donations. If you would like to donate some items to the silent bids we will conduct at the Speedway on April 6th, please e-mail me at thennig@sbcglobal.net. I can write a letter of donation on behalf of the speedway.
Claude and his family have treated me like family since day one. He sponsored Darin Ruley’s dirt modified for the past five years. His construction company, Claude Whelchel Construction, mainly worked with disabled people in trying to build them things to give them a better quality of life. Last night, after four months at UC Davis, he was finally allowed to go home and met his grandson who was born nearly one month ago.
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Submitted By: troy hennig