By Gary Nager
It doesn’t always take a tragedy to bring people together in this or any other community, but terrible circumstances can help a large number of people come together for worthy causes, both here in Wesley Chapel and across the country.
A case in point was the February 7 benefit for 28-year-old Bruce Emerson, held at Skinny’s Sports Bar (27429 S.R. 54, a half-mile west of I-75). Bruce, a popular “friend of the Skinny’s family” (according to Skinny’s owner Ken Santo), was seriously injured — breaking his neck, back, legs and arms — when he was thrown from his motorcycle while driving home at 10:45 p.m. on Curley Rd. after having dinner with his mom Kate Schroeder on Jan. 5.
“We estimate that about 300 people came out to support Bruce and his family at the benefit,” says Skinny’s owner Ken Santo. “And we’re amazed that we raised more than $7,000, all of which I gave directly to Kate.”
Kate says the event itself and the outpouring of love from the Skinny’s faithful was, “Overwhelming…more than I ever imagined. It was a wonderful party. We’re so appreciative.” She adds that some of the money will be used to pay to construct wheelchair ramps for Kate’s home, as Bruce “isn’t able to take care of himself right now.”
Kate also says that the doctors who took care of his traumatic injuries attributed Bruce’s survival to, “how physically and mentally strong he is,” after his years working as a cell phone tower climber, a job he has had for several years with his older brother Chip, 29. Bruce regularly climbs 600-ft.-tall cell towers.
“Bruce does the climbing, but he rappels back down on a harness and he has always had Chip on the ground making sure he’s safe,” says Kate. “The accident was devastating to Chip (Kate says Chip also survived a serious motorcycle accident 2-1/2 years ago). It was hard for (Chip) to return to work without his brother doing the climbing, but he’s tough, too, so he did it.”
An unbelievable coincidence is that Santo’s 16-year-old daughter Madison happened to be the first person to arrive on the scene of Bruce’s accident. Madison, who says she plans to be a doctor, says she was somehow able to keep her emotions under control while helping to make sure that Bruce wasn’t alone while waiting for emergency personnel to arrive on the scene.
For more information about how you can help Bruce & his family, stop by or call Skinny’s at 994-4646.
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