Benefit set for ailing child

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

While Bryson Fanning prepares for an appointment at a Texas medical center, Bland County residents continue their financial support. The latest benefit for the two-year-old with Langerhans cell histiocytiosis will be held this Friday, Nov. 13.
Central United Methodist Church will host a breakfast for supper from 4 to 7 p.m. in the fellowship hall. The menu will include sausage, bacon, gravy, biscuits, pancakes, jellies and beverages.
Cost will be by donation. Proceeds will be used to help with Bryson’s mounting medical expenses.
According to his paternal grandmother, Jean Fanning, Bryson is scheduled for an appointment Monday, Nov. 16, at 8 a.m. at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. His doctors at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville referred Bryson there to see if anything else can be done for his ailment.
“Bryson has had 50-some treatments and he still has the disease on his skull and behind his eyes,” Mrs. Fanning said.
LCH is a rare disorder that occurs when there are too many of a type of white blood cell called a Langerhans cell (named for a German scientist), according to the Children’s Hospital Boston Web site. These cells normally reside on the skin and help fight infections and destroy certain foreign substances in the body.
In LCH, these cells accumulate on bones and other parts of the body, particularly the head and neck causing a wide range of problems, the Web site said. Although LCH can occur in people of all ages, the majority of cases occur in children under 10 years old.
The cause of LCH is not entirely understood, the Web said. It is not cancerous but is treated with chemotherapy.
Bryson’s dad, Michael Fanning, is temporarily employed at the Bland Corrections Center after losing his job with Volvo Heavy Truck Plant in Dublin. His mom, Natalie Fanning, works in the advertising department of the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.
An account for the Fannings has been opened at BB&T in Bland. Relatives and friends in the Bluefield, W.Va., area have established the Bryson Fanning Foundation at P.O. Box 1128, Bluefield, WV 24701.
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 1-800-655-1406 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).