MORGAN -- Students at Morgan High School got a nice meal before the homecoming dance for what they normally spend on gas to get to a restaurant in Layton or Ogden. To top it off, going to the benefit dinner helped a young woman with Crohn's disease deal with overwhelming medical bills.
The students gathered with other community members Friday night for a dinner to raise money for Natalie Christensen, who has suffered with Crohn's disease for six years.
"It's an autoimmune disease where your immune system attacks the digestive system and is eating away at the intestines," Christensen said. "There's no room for food and water. It keeps getting worse. There's no cure. I go from one treatment to the next. It's been hard lately ... I can't work and my husband's work is slow."
Christensen's been in and out of the hospital six times during the last year and a half. While there two weeks ago, Brooke Murdock, Christensen's visiting teacher from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, told Christensen she was planning a community dinner to raise money for medical costs. Christensen said Murdock had been visiting her for a year and has often brought treats and encouraging notes.
"She's such a sweet lady, an angel," Christensen said.
Murdock said she's seen the young couple struggle.
"He's in college trying to work and pay medical bills. I knew I needed to do something," she said.
Murdock recruited the help of her sixth-grade students at Morgan Middle School, who went door-to-door selling tickets. Her sister Bradi Saunders, who doesn't know Christensen, also agreed to help.
"My sister asked me and I said, 'let's do it on homecoming night.' I like to be involved. It's a good feeling to be helping. Natalie's so appreciative. It's a cool community up here. You don't have to be good friends. People step in and help," she said.
Saunders said her son is a student body officer at Morgan High and Murdock's daughter is a cheerleader, so they helped get students to change their plans and come to the dinner. Ninety-one of the 260 tickets sold were to Morgan High students.
"Mostly we came because we're able to help Natalie Christensen," 16-year-old Colby Skinner said. "In Morgan we're like a little family and help everyone. Plus it's closer and we didn't have to drive."
The $10 a plate dinner of chicken cordon bleu, baked potato, salad and apple pie served in a church had the air of a fancy restaurant with elegant décor, hosts, a maitre d', and waiters and waitresses from the middle school. The only drawback for the students on dates was having their parents helping in the kitchen.
"It's a good way to spy on them," Becky Schenk said.
The grandparents of Christensen's husband came to the dinner and were overwhelmed by the number of cars in the parking lot.
"Natalie wants to do so much to live a normal life. She wants to be brave. When we see her in so much pain and discomfort we want to take it away. ... It's overwhelming and wonderful to see the support. The kids are thrilled, overwhelmed and humbled. We feel the same way," Gayle Polad said.
Murdock was also overwhelmed with the turnout. She hoped to raise $1,000 and got close to $3,000 in dinner tickets and donations.
"It's a huge community thing. We have a great community. I knew people would help. The most touching thing is that the high school kids changed their plans to come," Murdock said.
Christensen came to the dinner and stopped at many of the tables to personally thank the friends and strangers there for her.
"I'm so grateful for everyone coming," she said. "They're angels in my eyes."
Comments