In this Heartware Story, we head to Meadow Vista Ace in California. See how these Ace owners rallied their community, helping two members of their small town recover from health issues.

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[Music] Thought I had a shoulder injury and After about a month of testing and going To the doctors and trying to figure out What was wrong with my neck turned out That it was nonkin lymphoma I got Diagnosed two weeks before my high School graduation it was a real bummer Cuz she was a really good kid and a Really sparkling part of this community Also because she was working at the Coffee shop with somebody you saw every Day and the first thing David did was Text me and say right sick we got to Help [Music] Them David was a huge part of Ryland my Daughter's cancer fundraising he wasn't Even asked to participate in and help With and he jumped right on it he said What do you need me to do today and he Stopped what he was doing there and Spent the whole afternoon with us people See David as being open and welcoming And they'll come to him and say hey I Got this problem I need help if David Can help he's going to help them and and If he can't he's going to find someone Who can he put on a fundraiser for me For my uh my inage renal kidney failure And David was a big part of getting Raffle prizes and cooking food and he's Done that for me uh twice that has been What's kind of sustained his family

Through the early parts of his treatment Our main job is to help people it's it's Part of my everyday life one way or Another that Bell going off behind me That's the front door opening that's the Key people walking in and us trying to Help them with what they need when Anyone needs anything particularly in The hardware store here it's like a buzz Word if someone says oh something Happened in Meadow Vista what I'm there I'm there to help people here just Really take care of their own and their Community the Ace Hardware store is set Back in the late 50s early 60s wood Floors old barn style building got a Couple of really cool cats in there it's Very Whimsical the people who work in There are so kind There's not a whole lot in meow Vista so We have the hardware store the grocery Store coffee shop and I feel like that Makes it a meeting place for people to Come and you know share ideas and Looking for help we're also involved in A lot of the community events that take Place and being kind of a central piece Of the community it drives that kind of Traffic through us we know kind of Everyone like we know the leases we met Them shortly after we moved here I think The small community is really important Especially through what I've been Through she went through eight rounds of

Chemo obviously there's in and what not Involved with a lot of that stuff 8 Months of pretty much hell I was in the Hospital for a week at a time and then 2 Weeks out of the hospital as most people Who have experienced that kind of Hardship know beyond just the mental Anguish of your child being sick there's A lot of financial stuff that comes into It obviously there's nothing we can do About the sickness part but hopefully we Could do something about helping to ease The financial burden we would deliver Food to their house and then it grew Into something bigger it grew into Fundraisers and the mobilization of the Community we had come up with the idea To do this cornhole tournament through Lions Club which was our first time we'd Ever done it we were going to make our Own cornhole boards we were going to Paint them auction off the boards we Made probably north of 20 grand and it's Not a huge amount of money but it's Something that makes it a little easier David and Britney and Ace donated quite A bit to kind of make the fundraiser What it was they've helped a lot with Checking in on our family and making Sure we're doing Good Anthony had started having some health Concerns needed to go on dialysis almost Immediately and that dialysis was going

To be for like 14 hours a day which Meant that he didn't have time to work He was just trying to stay alive at that Point when this disease hit me being a Private owner of a shop I don't have the Luxury of disability so I had a lot of Bills I told him I said hey man listen Things are going to come up where you Need help you got to realize that you're Not going to be physically able to do Some of the things you want to do so we Did a couple of different fundraisers For him to help him just stay on his Feet I mean he was the primary bread Winner in their house the turnout was Amazing to see so much of our community Show up and be there to support Anthony The outpouring was unbelievable I was Not expecting to have a a whole town Show up it broke me down as a man it was Super humbling an absolute amazing Gift Of Life from them we made over $50,000 He's open again he's able to kind of Participate in our community he was There at that cornhole tournament Yesterday cooking and that's the first Time he's been able to attend one of our Events in a While that was really neat seeing how Many people cared about somebody they Barely knew they just wanted to help and It did it helped a lot we moved here in 2020 so for us to be only here for a Year and a half when she was diagnosed

With cancer and then David and his Family and the community to step up it Was mindboggling and I think the leases Are a very very big part of that Response I think the community labels Them as a Class Act there's probably a Better word I just don't know it thank You to everybody who's had my back Through everything and I've been home And I've been healthy and I've been in Remission thank you we're never going to Get rich doing what we do but the Relationships we've made and the people We know and the ability to be able to Help people in our community is Unmatched a lot of it has to do with Just the kind of place I want to live And the kind of place I want to live is Where people help each other if I don't Do it who else is going to do it I want My kids to understand that's a part of It you don't just get to sit by and Watch things happen to people Participating and helping in their lives Is is a big piece of [Music] [Applause] It