PULASKI, NY – Pulaski area friends and neighbors will be holding a family friendly community support event to help an infant, Memphis Isgar, facing serious health challenges at the Pulaski Fireman’s Field, also known as Dunbar Field, on Saturday, June 12, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
The event will feature live music, raffles, a kickball tournament, children’s activities, a chicken barbecue, bake sale, and a cornhole tournament, as well as many other attractions.
Jen Taylor, one of the many volunteers helping to plan the event, became aware of the challenges facing Baby Memphis and the Isgar family through Facebook.
“I’ve been through some hard times in my life, and the community came through and helped me, so I just wanted to do something to help this family,” Taylor said. “I wanted to help with some of the financial burdens of having to travel back and forth to the hospital frequently.”
Baby Memphis was born on February 12, 2021, and has been a fighter since day one. Doctors confirmed that the infant arrived with a rare affliction known as Ileal Atresia, which results in the intestines not being connected. Several surgeries have been performed, with the child having suffered some complications.
Many frequent trips to Crouse Hospital in Syracuse where lab work must be performed are in the future for Memphis and his parents. As Memphis is recovering, he will need to be fed a special formula and requires close supervision.
A small group of concerned friends and neighbors began the planning for the benefit, and contacted Taylor and asked her to join the effort.
“We just started bouncing ideas around and began contacting local businesses for donations and producing flyers,” Taylor said. “We have set up an account so those not able to attend the benefit may donate to a fund in Mighty Memphis’s name at Pulaski’s NBT Bank branch.”
As the event draws closer, many of the plans have fallen into place and the group of volunteers are hoping for good weather and numerous attendees. Kristin Potter, Nicole Wall, Tricia Bennett, Mark Garvin, Rebecca Minor and several others have been collaborating with Taylor to make the benefit a reality.
“I feel happy that so many people have been willing to donate their time and resources,” Taylor said. “In a time of the pandemic where we have been told to stay away from others, it’s great to see people coming together to help this family.”
Other groups have also joined in the effort. Students at Pulaski Academy held a can and bottle drive, and over 15,000 returnables have been donated to the families financial challenges, with Pepsico and Eagle Beverage also contributing to the cause.
The ongoing health issues Memphis is facing is taking a toll on his family.
“It’s overwhelming,” said Erica Isgar, Memphis’s mother. “My husband, Adam, and I can really only take care of him, so we are just trying to take turns so that we can both get enough rest.”
The Isgar’s six-year-old and sixteen -year-old children, Julian and Owen, have had to make sacrifices as well, with Baby Memphis’s care being so time consuming.
“Seeing Memphis under so much stress is exhausting,” Isgar said.
The family has had to purchase a monitor to keep Memphis safe at night, and fuel and parking charges have added up.
Witnessing the community’s care and compassion during this difficult time has been a comfort to the Isgars. Erica Isgar is unable to work during this crisis, and Adam is on Family Medical Leave, which supplies a reduced paycheck.
“The community’s support is overwhelming, but in a good way,” Erica Isgar said. “We don’t want to burden other people, but everyone has been amazing.”
Adam Isgar noted that the community’s ability to come together speaks volumes about the local spirit, even through the COVID19 restrictions.
“Pulaski may be a small town, but its heart is bigger than the entire state,” he said.
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