Benefit for Cadillac boys raises $6,000
By Kayla Kiley
CADILLAC - Two young Cadillac brothers were sent to the hospital with injuries after being involved in a car accident on Tuesday, Oct. 27 in Marion.
Today, 9-year-old Thomas Miller is on bed rest at home with a broken ankle; he will have surgery on his ankle today. 8-year-old Skylar Miller had back surgery Wednesday and is in ICU at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids; Skylar will remain at DeVos for few more weeks.
A friend of the family organized a benefit dinner and silent auction on Wednesday at the Bear Claw Brewery & Grill in Cadillac. The event brought hundreds of people and more than $6,000 in donations, according to family friend Heather Reed of Cadillac. People who would like to donate may send money to the Miller family benefit fund at Chemical Bank.
"I’m overwhelmed and grateful," said Roo Miller, mother of the boys, when she found out how much the benefit raised. "I can’t believe it’s that much. Wow. Especially when times are hard right now and jobs are scarce, for people to have pulled together like that for us it’s amazing."
Roo said since Skylar’s surgery was moved to the day of the benefit, both she and her husband Tom went to DeVos to be with Skylar. Family members took Thomas to the benefit.
Thomas enjoyed seeing and meeting people who came to support him and his brother. He especially enjoyed the Cadillac varsity football coaches autographing and giving him a football, Roo said.
"Everybody has been so good to us," Roo said. "A young girl who goes to school with the boys emptied her piggy bank and put it (the money) in an envelope for them. It breaks your heart that even at that age they’re willing to help.
"I want to say thank you to the community and our friends and family for their prayers and support," she continued.
The brothers, who attend Kenwood Elementary School in Cadillac, were riding as passengers with their grandmother, Carmoneta Romatz of Marion, who is in her mid-50s, when Romatz’s vehicle collided head-on with another vehicle just before noon at the intersection of M-115 and 20 Mile Road.
The boys’ parents currently are not working in order to take care of their only children. Each day, one parent takes turns staying with Thomas in Cadillac while the other drives to Grand Rapids to be with Skylar; Skylar will be in the DeVos hospital for at least a few more weeks.
kkiley@cadillacnews.com | 775-NEWS (6397)
HOW TO HELP
• About: Cadillac Miller brothers Skylar, 8, and Thomas, 9, were injured in a car accident on Oct. 27. Skylar is in ICU at DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids; Thomas is at home on bed rest.
• Injuries: Many people sustained injuries in the crash.
Skylar had to have 6 to 8 inches of his small intestine removed and repair work to his large intestine. He also fractured some vertebrae and is seeing double, with limited movement in one eye. Doctors are expecting Skylar to recover fully, according to the boys’ mother Roo Miller.
The boys’ grandmother, Carmoneta Romatz, recently was moved from ICU at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City; she has to have surgery on her pelvis, knee, ankle and heel, according to Roo.
The passenger of the other vehicle involved in the crash died as a result of the accident. The Osceola Sheriff’s Office is not yet releasing information about the other people involved in the accident because "the investigation is ongoing."
• Donate: People who would like to donate may send money to the Miller family benefit fund at Chemical Bank.
