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Page 3 About All West Alabama
lte lemorrat- l, eporter
Thursday, November 29, zo J z
• t,
Windham Thompson Lee, Jr.
Christmas on the •River Special Child 2012
Respecofdly submitted.
Linde McAdams
COTR Special Child
Committee Chair
It is my distina pleasure to
announce the Christmas on the
River, 2012. Special Child:
Windham .ompson Lee, Jr.
Windham :is the son of
Windham ~d Teila Lee of
Demopolis. '
Windhan~ was born April
13, 2006 at DCH, Regional
Medical Center in Tuscaloosa.
From the instant of Ns birth it
was obvious that he had spe-
cial needs. He immediately
required respirator resuscita-
tion and life support on a ven-
tilator. The cause of his
breathing difficulty was not
readily apparent to his doctors,
but early on it was thought that
his trachea (breathing tube)
and his esophagus (feeding
tube) were somehow connect-
ed causing him not to be able
to breathe. "He was a fighter
from the start" stated his moth-
er. "The Neonatologist said he
had never had a baby fight so
hard to keep the tube out of his
throat."
Windham continued his
fight for 2 weeks at DCH, and
further at UAB where he
stayed for 3 months in the
neonatal ICU. "He had a tra-
cheostomy from 3 fi weeks of
age until hewas 5 years old"
his mother explained. "Now,
he still has frequent infections
because of his narrow airway
and difficulty coughing.
When he was younger, and
before he could talk, we used
sign language to communi-
cate. Since I am a Special Ed
Teacher, and I knew how•to
sign,•I taught him'!.
Ultimately, after 2 yeats of
extensive testing, Specialists
determined that Windham has
Oral Facial Digital Syndrome
Type 1. Doctors were hesitant
to make the diagnosis because
of the seriousness of it. His
mother said, "It's a very rare
syndrome, especially severe in
boys-most of them don't make
it. I think they just didn't want
the label on him. The Doctors
continually remind us that they
treat the patient, not the 'syn-
drome' itself'.
"Oral-facial-digital syn-
drome (OFDS) is an umbrella
term for at least 10 apparently
distinctive genetic disorders
that are characterized by
defects and flaws in the devel-
opment of the structure of the
oral cavity including the
mouth, tongue, teeth, and jaw;
the development of the facial
structures including the head,
eyes, and nose; and the fingers
and toes (digits); along with
differing degrees of mental
retardation. The presentation
of signs and symptoms is
extremely varied, making
diagnosis difficult. OFDS type
I is the most common of all of
these disorders, and it is quite
rare." (WEB MD, http://chil-
dren.webmd.com/oral-facial-
digital-syndrome, November
14, 2012.)
Fortunately, Windham's air-
way and jaw matured enough
by the time he was 5 years old
and he did not have to have
restorative surgery. His devel-
opmental delays and speech
delays, however, do require
speech therapy, occupational
therapy and physical therapy.
He receives these therapies at
Westside Elementary School
where he is a student in Mrs.
Becky Halley's first grade
class. "Windham is very spe-
cial to us-the other children
love him".
Teila continues, "When it
comes to Windham, we have
gotten excellent support from
our families, our community,
our church, and the school sys-
tem in Demopolis".
I hope as our Christmas on
the River activities proceed
you will have the opportunity
to see Windham, his parents,
and his sister Miley. Stop and
say hi, or wave as they pass by
in the parade. They are a very
special family and Windham is
the MOST Special Child of
2012.
CHRISTMAS on the RIVER
DEMOPOLI$ ALABAMA
®
2012
rl,
PO BOX 667
DEMOPC~i..IS, AL
t -~," 5
3o/,' 2
fi~x 334,289.0216
en ail demopchamben,:z.~yahoo.com
c hris h]]asc,,,rfi heriver.com
demopoiischcJmber.com
nov. 28
nov, 29
nov. 30
dec, 1
dec. 2
5:00-8p
5.30-8o
5:30p Ughting at the LoVe Light T~ece
Announcement of lhe Saec~al Child
BWWMH front lawn
5:30p Lighting of Public Square
Crowning af SL Nick
Reading at the Christmas Story
Public Square - Down~owr
(Civic Center if inclernent weather)
Candlelight Evening
Gafneswood, admission $5 with entertainment
by John Bultman
ChtlsJmas in the Canebrake
.:Bluff Hall & Lyon Hall
admissionS5 adults per house unaer 12 free
5p-I a Alabama State ChamDJon~hip B~Q Coak~off
i; ::.{DemolDolis City Landing admission $5.00
George Franks Ball Field
~TBA
9-11p
7:30a
to 3:30p
8a
Public Square - Downtown
Jir~gle Bell Run/Walk Registration
: Public Square - DownTown
$15:00 before Nov. 16fh, $2000 after
10a-5o Blair Hall Open
admission $5.00 adults, $3 student K-12
I 0a-2p Geir~swood :Open
admission $5.00
1:30a
Christies Parade
Grand Mershals--Aiab~rno Gang
Donnie Allisan gabby AIl~sor~
and Red Farmer
Downtown
JUdg~tlg tar the BBQ Caok-off
' P(esentafion of Trophies & Checks al 2Din
:i~.: George Franks Bail Field
~NJdren',~ Play ~ Junie B, ~o~,es Jintfle 8efl~ Be!man Smeft~
Canebrake Players-Call for addifiona aates
Old School Theater on Main Avenue
admission $10,00 adults $5.00 children
6:00p Nauffcol Parade & Fireworks Dis~,c ,(
To 8:30p ' : Riverbank of the Tombigoee
6:00p COTR Gala (semi4ormabp~o jeans cash ba~l
to 8:30p Demopolis Civic Center
admission $25.00 12 & unaer $15,00
91am Chds~s an the River Dance [no ieans)
To midnight band - Cool Rayz
,: Demopolis Civic Center
Adtnission-$10 00 2l+ only
2:00p The Nufcracke~ performed by ~he t.~onrgommv Sailer
Soonsared by Two rivers Arts Council
Demopolis High School Auditorium
Christmas on the River
2011 is now a four day
event packed with fun for
the Demopolis area as well
as tourists from miles away.
This is our 41st
Anniversary. This year our
Chamber of Commerce and
a wonderful group of volun-
teers made sure to:revitalize
our 41st COTR with new
and revamped day parade
and nautical floats and an
even bigger :Fireworks
show. We also added some
additions to our day parade
such as the Choctaw Indian
the BWWMH front lawn.
Thursday the 29th, we'll
have the reading the "The
Christmas Story" by Rev.
J.D. Barnes and lighting the
park in Public Square at
5:30. We will have the
crowning of St. Nick which
is an individual in the com-
munity that has focused
their energy and attention
on helping children. The
announcement of the
Special Child will also
occur Thursday night.
Friday the 30th starting at
Dancers and we are pleased 5:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
to have i The Alabama will be our annual
Gang" ricecar drivers as
our Grand Marshals this
year. Come to the Alabama
State BBQ Cook-off where
for an en .tr, y fee of $5.00 you
can hear a band and watch
the coml ' tltors as they are
cooking and get a taste of
BBQ.
Our event kicks off Wed.
November 28th and will
start with the celebration at
5:30 p.m. ¢ith the- Lighting
of the LoN Light Tree at
Christmas in the Canebrake
where Bluff Hall, Lyon Hall
and Gaineswood will be
decked in their Christmas
finest for candlelight tours
with entertainment and
refreshments. Admission is
$4.00 per house and 12 and
under are free. The
Alabama State
Championship BBQ Cook-
Off will begin at 5:00 p.m.
and last until 1:00 a.m. at
George Franks Field a band
playing from 9:00 pm until take
ll:00pm.
Saturday the 1st will start
at 7:30 a.m. with Fair in the
Square until 3:30 which
will consist of food, retail
and craft vendors as well as
children's activities. Also
the Jingle Bell Run/Walk
Registration starts at 8:00
a.m. at the Public Square.
The cost to enter this event
place on the
Tombigbee Riverbank; The
COTR Gala Semi-Formal
will take place in the
Demopolis Civic Center,
NO JEANS please, where
you can observe the night
parade and fireworks in a
warmer climate. There will
be heavy appetizers and a
cash bar. Admission is
$25.00 adults and 12 and
is $15.00 before November trader $15.00.
16th and $20.00 after. The
day parade will begin at
11:30 a.m, and wind its way
through downtown
Demopolis. Beginning at
11:00 a.m. is the judging of
the Cooboff as well as
presentation of trophies and
checks at 2:00 p.m. at the
George Franks Field.
At 2:00 p.m, a Children's
Christmas play by Junie B.
Jones, Jingle Bells Batman
Smells will be performed at
the Old School Theater on
Main Street. Admission is
$10.00 for adults and $5.00
for children. From 6:00-
8:30 the Nautical Parade
and Fireworks show will
From 9 p.m. to midnight
is for those 21 and older.
Admission is $10.00 for the
Band Cool Rayz-again, no
jeans please.
Sunday December 4th at
2:00 p.m. the Montgomery
Ballet performs "The
Nutcracker" at the
Demopolis High School
Auditorium.
For more detailed infor-
marion and tickets, call the
Demopolis Area Chamber
of Commerce at 334-289-
0270. Be sure to mark your
calendars for Alabama's
Original 41st Christmas on
the River!
Bryan W. Whitfield
Memorial Hospital Auxiliary
staff members are busily mak-
ing their lists and checking them
twice to make sure no one is left
off the Love Lights Tree at the
Demopolis hospital. Now enter-
ing its 23rd year as one of the
group's most prosperous
fundraisers, the Love Lights
Tree event is a way in which
area residents can honor those
they love and respect.
What began with a small tree
on the front lawn of the hospital
23 years ago, has grown to
include a 24' tall tree covered in
red and white lights that's situat-
ed atop the facility, two trees
inside the hospital lobby that are
festooned with red and white
ornaments bearing the names of
those being honored, and a huge
hall filled with wreaths span- fits of giving to this project are
sored by area businesses and
individuals.
',qhis program has been won-
derful for the Auxiliary, the hos-
pital and the community,'! said
Rebecca Culpepper, Auxiliary
President. "This is the perfect
time of year to take a moment to
remember those who have
touched our lives in very special
ways and what better way to
honor them than by helping
someone else.
"The proceeds from this
event will be used to help fund
our many projects here at the
hospital," she added. "We do
everything from helping to pur-
chase new equipment, to award-
ing scholarships to deserving
students who wish to pursue a
career in healthcare. The bene-
indeed long-lasting and reward-
ing."
Slated for Wednesday,
November 28 at 5 p.m., the 23rd
Annual Love Lights Tree
Lighting Ceremony will once
again open the events for
Christmas on the River. This
year's COTR Special Child will
be introduced at the event and
will also have the honor of
throwing the switch to light the
tree. The winners of the various
Miss COTR pageants will also
be on hand for the evem. as well
as a full contingent of the
Auxiliary. Delicious refresh-
ments will be offered to those
attending, as well.
A $3 donation will place a
light on the tree in memory or m
honor of your special person.
Two lights are available for a $5
donation. The white memory
lights and the red honor lights
will shine on the tree outside the
hospital throughout the holiday
season while another tree in the
main lobby will display coordi-
nating ornaments featuring the
names of the honorees and the
donors. Special ornaments in
honor or memory of military
personnel are also available.
The Love Lights Memory
Book will be displayed in the
hospital's main lobby through-
out the holiday season and will
feature the names of honorees
and donors.
Anyone wishing to purchase
Love Lights should contact any
member of the BWWMH
Auxiliary or they may purchase
lights in the BWWMH Gift
Shop.
1205 US Hwy 80, Demopolis
To
Christmas on the
Chevron Parr's Inc.
Hwy. 80 East Demopolis, A1.
334)289-0887
[ Happy Holidays
from
Rie Heating & Cooling, Inc.
311 East Washington Street
e
• Demopolis, AI 36732
o
334-259-4713
I •
ei Auto
• ome
, ,~.
Bursiness
334-289-218S
334-28 -8400 (fax)
1712 Hwy 80 F..
Demopolis, A1
Kill aore Tax & Accounting
Service
Doris Killgore
Enrolled Agent, Accredited Tax Preparer
(334) 295-8700
110 8th Ave. West, Linden, AI 36748
can get
• stationery,
334.295-5224
334-295-5563(fax)
dreporter2@yahoo.com
m'5