TREMONTON, Utah — A community in Tremonton is lifting up a 13-year-old who is dealing with a bone cancer diagnosis by easing financial burdens placed on the family.
Griff White received the diagnosis in March and since then, it’s been a challenging time for him and his family.
Lisa Miller is a close friend of the family and she, along with many others, has poured efforts into raising money.
“They are one of those families in the community that’s just always helping everyone," she said. "Their boys are just the best of the best. They can sit and talk to anyone, kind, good boys.”
Miller reflected that the community wants to do its part, no matter how small it may be.
“We can’t really take away any of the pain, but everyone wanted to feel like they could try to help somehow," she said. “It’s a drop in the bucket, I’m sure their medical bills are outrageous, but we just all need to feel like we’re doing something."
Their efforts are drops in the bucket that the White family feels every day.
“We couldn’t do it without the help, the love and the support," said Cami White, Griff's mom.
Cami believes the outpouring of support has given her son the strength to fight each day.
“I feel like it has given him more willpower to want to fight," she reflected. "He wants to show everybody how strong he is. He knows that he’s got a whole team and whole community backing him up.”
On Wednesday, Griff's brother Mitt and his baseball team banded together to sell swag, including soda tumblers, for medical costs. A soda shop jumped in with free drinks for anyone who bought a tumbler.
“We sold stuff for him, all of my friends and all of our teammates," Mitt explained. "They all helped raise money. We sold bracelets, stickers, cups."
Others have been hosting fundraisers, auctions, raffles, selling tickets for shows, and printing stickers and cups with “Grit Like Griff,” to help.
“They’ve had their eyes opened and it was cool to see how excited and emotional they were and how much they try and be more like Griff,” Miller reflected. "He is 13 years old, going through more than most people go through in their whole lives, and he is not beaten down, he is strong."
