Scouts help even things out

Theory has it that things tend to happen in threes.

Kenmore residents Roger and Michelle Cass became a case in point this year as they received triple doses of both good and bad news.

The first wave started woefully when their 6-year-old son, Ben, began experiencing nausea last winter.

Initial tests showed nothing wrong, but the youngster turned jaundice March 7.

The next several weeks turned into a sequence of blood tests and evaluations, but doctors still couldn’t figure out what was wrong.

Ben later developed a severe rash, which prompted further tests. A liver biopsy showed that he was sick with viral hepatitis. His body was also slowing its production of plasma, which helps the blood coagulate.

The Casses held onto hope that their son’s liver would recover, but it never did.

“His condition just kept progressing downhill,” Michelle said.

It was clear by March 31 that Ben needed to be on the waiting list for a liver transplant.

“The day he got listed was probably the hardest of my life,” Michelle said. “We had been holding out, thinking he would get better.”

Hard luck struck again when Roger got into an automobile accident. He escaped injury, but totaled his truck.

Ben’s condition continued to worsen as he waited for a transplant. Doctors admitted him to the intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital April 7.

It was time for something drastic.

Tests showed that Roger was a donor match for his son, so he made plans to sacrifice one third of his liver for a transplant operation.

“It was a big relief to find out that this was an option,” Roger said. “As a parent, you feel like there’s finally something you can do.”

Living organ donations are rare. Ben’s transplant would be the second of its kind to take place in the state of Washington.

The Casses’ 9-year-old son, Ryan, came down with a cold just before the operation was to take place. His father had to watch over him while Michelle stayed with Ben day and night at the hospital.

Roger ran the risk of falling ill just before his operation.

Bad news had taken a 3-0 advantage, but momentum was about to shift.

Ben and his father both went under the knife April 11, and their surgeries were a success.

Roger returned home after five days of recovery, and Ben left the hospital eight days later.

But bad luck was poised to strike again.

Ben’s operation exhausted the Casses’ health-insurance coverage, and the added cost of his father’s surgery put the family in danger of bankruptcy.

The Casses were about to set a new precedent for misfortune, but goodness refused to be denied its comeback. The family qualified for a state program that provides financial assistance for children who spend more than 30 consecutive days in a hospital.

“That right there was a big ‘Thank you, Lord,’” Michelle said. “It doesn’t do much good to fix a family if you put them in financial peril.”

Local Cub Scouts from Pack 536 helped even the scores of fate by completing a front-yard makeover for the Cass family May 18.

Around 35 people, including scouts and their parents, volunteered to edge the lawn, weed flower beds, spread bark, reseed the lawn and plant low-maintenance annuals, shrubs and perennials.

The group worked for nearly five hours, saving several days worth of yard work that might have otherwise gone neglected while the Cass family worked toward full recovery.

Northshore Fire Department firefighters also showed up to put one of their trucks on display during the event.

“The kids were on a high,” said John Brooke, who organized the project. “They enjoyed being out there with each other and helping somebody. A lot of them knew Ben personally.”

Brooke gathered donations from 15 different businesses. The contributions included gifts certificates to Dairy Queen, multiple plantings from local nurseries and even a plastic pig statue from a local home-and-garden center.

No one seemed to want the swine figurine when it was on display at the store, but it became a symbolic display for the Casses.

“It’s perfect for us because one of Ben’s favorite school projects was a piggy mask,” Michelle said. “It’s just precious.”

The Shelton View Elementary Sunshine Committee helped get the next wave of fate moving in a positive direction by cooking meals for the Casses during their recovery period.

It was a role reversal for Michelle. She’s usually on the giving end of things as co-chair of the group, which supports families during times of crisis.

“We have a lot to be thankful for,” she said. “This whole experience has given me a great new appreciation for many things.”