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MISHAWAKA -- At the 4th annual Concert For a Cause at the Mishawaka FOP Saturday night the community rallied around a Niles family to help a special little girl who has been battling major health issues her entire life.
The Concert For A Cause was established to honor two fallen Misahwaka Police Officers, Bryan Verkler and Thomas Roberts, who were shot and killed in the line of duty in 2003. The concert remembers them by doing something good each year. This year, the concert was to benefit 7-year-old Bekka Salle.
"She has cerebral palsy and she was born with a profound hearing loss in both ears, so she has many other complications that go along with that too," Bekka's mother, Melissa Deuel said.
Bekka was born four months premature and for the first four months of her life, she stayed in the hospital. Because of her premature birth, she has a host of medical problems. On top of her hard hearing, she's bound to a wheelchair, she has chronic lung disease and a suppressed immune system. All of which require her to go the hospital every month for surgeries, check-ups and procedures.
But other than her physical ailments, she's like any other 7-year-old girl.
"She just has the physical limitations, so we're trying to help her overcome those," Deuel said.
But doing so cost a lot money. The hope is this benefit concert can help.
"The co-pays add up and they're things that aren't covered like gas for our trips to [Riley Hospital in] Indianapolis, the wear and tear on our vehicles," Deuel said.
Even toys are much more expensive. A special tricycle for Bekka has a price tag of $3,900. But for Bekka's mom, it's not just a toy, it's something that will help her little girl.
"I want her to not have any boundaries, I don't want her to feel that she's limited in anything that she can do I just want her to be a normal person, go anywhere and do anything," Deuel said.
The goal is to raise around $5,000. That would be enough to help buy hearing aides and the special-needs tricycle.
To learn more about Bekka's story, visit bekkasmiraclefund.shutterfly.com
