Caring friends music to stricken family

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/09/2009 (6174 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The hills are alive with the sound of caring.

The seven children and teens who starred in the 2007 Rainbow Stage production of The Sound of Music are reuniting. This time, they’ll be performing to help the real-life father of one of their own.

“We got close during the show and all of us sort of stayed in touch,” says Paige Pooley, who played Liesl Von Trapp. “When this happened we just pulled together.”

“This” was a leukemia diagnosis handed to Stuart Thickson, father of the youngest Von Trapp. Abbey Thickson played Gretl.

“I was diagnosed with AML (acute myeloid leukemia) in June,” says Thickson. “It progressed very rapidly.”

His cancer came right after Thickson suffered another major blow.

The 44-year-old was laid off from his job as a graphic artist. He initially attributed his cancer symptoms to the stress of that life-changing loss.

Thickson was a constant presence during the musical, volunteering as an usher every night of the show’s run. Just like the child performers, the parents grew close.

So close, in fact, that Dan Repeta (whose daughter, Jade, played Louisa) decided to hold a fundraiser for the Thickson family. With Stuart out of work and the bills piling up, the family needed some help.

“I guess the kids have told you they’re a family,” says Repeta. “You help a family. That’s just what you do.”

A fundraising social for the Thicksons will be held in Selkirk tonight. It’s a sellout.

“The hard thing for me is accepting help,” says Stuart Thickson. “People know I’m ill and they’ve been amazing. Someone dropped off a Tim Horton’s card. People drop off food.

“Someone else gave us a gas card. I’m back and forth to the hospital every day, sometimes twice a day. It all adds up. For me it’s overwhelming.”

Dan Repeta steps in. “Giving is easy. It’s sometimes accepting help that’s hard.”

Abbey Thickson jumps in with a story.

“We shaved his head,” she grins. “It looked really funny.”

Thickson grins ruefully.

“She’s right. Someone at the hospital took pity and fixed it up.”

Two families in Selkirk, the Hodges and the Benders, have been instrumental in planning the fundraiser. There will be a booth offering information on bone marrow transplant at the social.

Tonight’s performance will feature a reprise of many of the musical’s numbers, as well as performances by the multi-talented actors and members of their various dance troupes and musical theatre groups.

The reunion seemed natural to the actors, all of whom have stayed in touch. “They see each other quite frequently,” says Lori Luby, mother of Sarah (Brigitta Von Trapp). “We had a bowling night. They send each other emails. These kids were together eight hours a day (during rehearsals). They really know each other well.”

The kids laugh when they remember bowling night. “We were singing,” says Eliza Bell (Marta Von Trapp). “Everyone was looking at us.”

Jakob Sanderson, who played Kurt, says it just seems natural to help the Thicksons.

“We know each other very well,” he says. “We’re just doing what we can.”

They giggle as they tease each other, repeating the nicknames each cast member earned during the show. They talk about the Kildonan Park “Lying Tree” where they would sit and tell stories during their breaks.

“It was fun,” says Scott Peterson (Friedrich).

Dan Repeta hopes the fundraiser will net around $4,000.

Unfortunately, Stuart Thickson won’t be there. His immune system is compromised due to chemotherapy. He can’t handle exposure to so many people. There is some bright news for the family. A bone marrow donor has been found. Stuart should have a transplant in the next month or so. After that? They can only hope and pray.

The kids are closing tonight’s performance with Auf Wiedersehen, So Long, Farewell.

There won’t be a dry eye in the house.

lindor.reynolds@freepress.mb.ca