Church raising money for Crohn's patient

Members of Evangelical Presbyterian Church will wake up early Aug. 7 to flip pancakes and set up a yard sale to raise money to help the ailing daughter of a church usher.

The money will help pay medical bills that are piling up for 26-year-old Monique Levesque, who remains in a Miami hospital following a multiple organ transplant early this month. Levesque has suffered from Crohn's disease her entire life.

Her medical expenses average $3,500 a month. Bills totaled more than $167,000 even before the operation at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

"I pray people will donate whatever they can to help. Otherwise, I don't know how we will pay these bills," said Monique's dad, Norman Levesque, who is an usher at Evangelical Presbyterian.

Crohn's disease causes an inflammation of the intestine, and complications may include intestinal perforation and bleeding, and colon, liver and bile duct failure, among other symptoms.

Norman Levesque, an 85-year-old World War II veteran and former greeter at Walmart in Plant City, said his daughter has been in and out of hospitals all her life.

"It has been a long road. She has been going to the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio for the past five years in the hope to cure or contain the disease, but they finally recommended she go to the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida, where she received her transplant. She's suffered so much and then had pneumonia after her surgery. Since I couldn't drive (because of failing eyesight), I was only able to visit if one of my other daughters, Deven Spencer or Brenda Levesque, could drive me," he said.

His former wife, Kathleen Florence, has been staying with Monique in the hospital.

A man of faith and believer in miracles, Norman Levesque reads his Bible for an hour in the morning and again at night as he asks for divine intervention.

"I always say my prayers and have asked Jesus to guide the doctor's hands everyday. Now I have just received two miracles. Monique called me from Miami and said, 'Daddy, the doctor just came to tell me no more Crohn's. It's gone, I'm really healed!'

"My second miracle came when I went to the eye doctor and was told my vision 'amazingly' had 'corrected itself.' Now, I can see to drive, and I'm going to try to get my job back," he said.

Donations of money or items for the yard sale can be dropped off at the church from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday.

For information, call the church (813) 759-9383 or Dave Bowden (813) 754-4505.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Pancake breakfast and yard sale to pay medical bills of Monica Levesque, who had a multi-organ transplant

WHEN: 7 a.m. to noon Aug. 7

WHERE: Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 1107 Charlie Griffin Road, Plant City

PRICE: Pancake meals $5 per person; yard sale items at various prices

INFORMATION: (813) 759-9383