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43 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, January 24, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 15, 2004 Donor pledges for new artificial leg reach $15,000 By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Donors hoping to help a 26-year-old Central Point cancer survivor who needs a new prosthesis have pledged as much as $15,000 for his cause. "No way! For real?" Stacy Gregory said Tuesday, a day after Mail Tribune readers responded to a story about his situation. "A leg? Yes! That’s awesome." Gregory, who works double shifts at a Medford nursing home, lost his left leg to cancer at age 9 and had a bone marrow transplant at 16. He’s using an ill-fitting artificial leg held together with old bolts and duct tape because he can’t afford the $22,000 for a new one. Organizers of a fund drive for Gregory opened an account Monday at the downtown Medford branch of U.S. Bank, officials there confirmed. Advertisement Contributions have ranged from $25 and $50 to $1,000. One donor pledged to match donations up to $5,000, said Forest Sexton, owner of Spectrum Orthotics and Prosthetics Inc., who hopes to craft Gregory’s new leg. Response from community members has been heartwarming, Sexton says. Whether people who pledged funds will actually follow through remains to be seen, he noted. And the total collected is still more than $7,000 less than the cost of the new limb. Gregory also was invited to apply for assistance through the Pot of Gold Fund administered by the Emblem Club, a division of the Elks. Gaille Schmidt of Central Point, a past state president of the group, said it could take several months for Gregory to learn whether he’ll be helped by the agency that provides prosthetics for needy people. Schmidt said she was moved by the young man’s story. "What got me was his perseverance not to let it slow him down," she said. "I read that and thought this is a red flag that this might be someone we can help." Contributions can be mailed or delivered to the Stacy Gregory Fund, U.S. Bank, 131 E. Main St., Medford, OR 97501. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers