Thursday night at the Fayette County Fair proved to be an emotional, yet uplifting evening during the Junior Fair Livestock Sale.
Gary Lewis stepped into the ring to sell his hog, like every other child would do. What Gary didn’t know was the outpouring of support that he would receive from the community in the moments to follow.
The Miami Trace Elementary School student was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in January of 2021.
The auction Thursday began at $5,000, with several bidders going back and forth. The bidding stopped at $13,600, then the auctioneer Chris Cottrill addressed the crowd.
“Everyone else that is interested, if you want to hold up your bidder number, we’ll write it down and put another $100 onto it.”
Nearly 60 businesses and community members proceeded to pledge an additional $100 donation each, bringing the total into the ballpark of $20,000.
Lewis’ mother, Stacey Mathews, posted about the event on social media.
“To say we’re overwhelmed this evening is an understatement. I’ve been trying to find the words to thank everyone for what happened in that sales arena tonight but I don’t think there are words to describe it. It was nothing short of amazing. Gary worked hard with his 4H pigs even when he was exhausted and feeling yucky. This project was a challenge and he gave his all. I still don’t think he can fully comprehend what happened tonight. He was just nervous about standing in the ring. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. We thank you. We are so thankful for a community who loves on our sweet Gary. Thank you all so much!”
Several community members also commented, stating how proud they are to live in Fayette County and praising those who donated.
