Chuckie Magee and Mom Will Celebrate His Birthday This Saturday

After spending 105 days in a hospital battling bone cancer and a nasty bout of the flu, Warwick grad Chuckie Magee  returned to Lititz along with his mom, Bev, and the two couldn’t be happier to be home.

The pair, who have both battled cancer during the past year, will celebrate Chuckie’s 23rd birthday this Saturday, just a year and two days after Bev’s own cancer diagnosis.

“I feel very blessed to be having this birthday,” said Bev tonight from her Lititz apartment.  Bev finished her chemotherapy just weeks before her special needs son was diagnosed with sarcoma. Before the pair got home recently, friends made modifications to their apartment to facilitate Chuckie’s use of a wheelchair which is needed since his right leg was amputated in an effort to save his life.

Although they are thrilled to be home, the transition brings new challenges, especially with travel to multiple medical appointments for Chuckie each week.

“It’s going to require a lot of adjustments, but one day at a time is all that we can do,” said Bev. Now that they’re home, the majority of Chuckie’s day-to-day care needs to be done by Bev.

For now, Bev lifts and carries her 100-plus pounds son in and out of countless doctor’s appointments and physical therapy, occasionally utilizing an adult-size stroller that is uncomfortable for Chuckie to be in for very long.

“Right now it is extremely difficult to get him anywhere because my mom’s car is not handicap accessible and his wheelchair weighs 90 pounds,” said Katie Groves, Chuckie’s sister.

The family is hoping to obtain a van that can be modified to accommodate Chuckie’s wheelchair. Once a van is provided, then his medical waiver will pay for the needed modifications.

A local fundraiser held at Roma Pizza in Lititz recently garnered $1,000 for the personal and medical needs for Chuckie, but it is far short of the amount that would be needed to obtain a van. In the meantime, Bev is looking into obtaining grants to assist with the unexpected expenses.

“The paperwork that needs to be done is astounding,” she said. Chuckie has been focused on a different set of wheels ever since he was hospitalized last October. An avid biker who rides an adaptive tricycle, he longs to ride in his favorite Lititz “park,” which is really a nearby school.

“He is very anxious to get outside and to start having some normalcy,” said Bev.

Today, mother and son paid a visit to Lititz Springs Park, on what turned out to be a beautiful spring-like day.