Haisman family get helps from Decatur students, business owner

Photo by Mike Eckels The Haisman family (center) accepted a check from students and faculty of Decatur High School after the Jan. 27 Decatur-St. Paul basketball contest at Peterson Gym. Those attending the ceremony included Toby Conrad (left), Ambor Lydon, Casey Coker and the Haisman family — Taylor, Lisa, Ray, Elizabeth, Raymond Sr. — and John Unger.
Photo by Mike Eckels The Haisman family (center) accepted a check from students and faculty of Decatur High School after the Jan. 27 Decatur-St. Paul basketball contest at Peterson Gym. Those attending the ceremony included Toby Conrad (left), Ambor Lydon, Casey Coker and the Haisman family — Taylor, Lisa, Ray, Elizabeth, Raymond Sr. — and John Unger.

— When Ray Haisman, a senior at Decatur High School, and his family learned that the cancer he successfully fought off in 2015 had returned, they found themselves reliving the nightmare of trips to Little Rock, long sessions of chemotherapy and endless medical bills.

The Haisman family received a little glimmer of hope in the form of a check to help pay for some of their mounting expenses.

Four Decatur High School sophomores, with the help of teacher and sponsor, Anita Warren, organized a project to raise money to help their friends through these tough times.

Casey Coker, Amber Lydon, Joni Moppin and Kaley Medlin decided to have a bake sale during the colors day basketball contests at Peterson Gym in Decatur on Jan. 20. They pooled their resources and, with the help of family and friends, baked enough pies, cookies and other pastries to fill two large folding tables.

The group set up its baked goods near the concession stand at Peterson Gym, the one area that everybody passes to get to the bleachers. This location proved its worth. By the end of the Lady Bulldogs game with St. Paul, all the baked goods were gone.

As the bake sale was winding down, Toby Conrad, high school principal, received a phone call from Lucky Sood, the owner of Handy Mart and Junction 59. Sood heard of the group's efforts to help the Haisman family and pledged an additional $500 to the project.

When the final tally was completed, the bake sale made $600 (some donations came in after the bake sale). With Sood's donation, the Haisman family received a total of $1,100 to help pay some of its expenses.

At present, Ray Haisman is responding well to his treatments, with several more left to go.

Donations are still being accepted. For more information, contact Decatur High School at 752-3983.

General News on 02/08/2017