Concert to help ill student with bills

Ashley Lee has not been outside for nearly seven weeks.\nShe has missed the coming of autumn, and she has nearly missed her first semester at college. \nLee, an IU freshman who was diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis in late September, is now turning to her community for help in paying medical expenses.\nFriends and family are sponsoring a benefit concert at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 28 at the Terre Haute South High School Auditorium, 3737 S. Seventh St. in Terre Haute, to help offset the cost of medical care. Tickets are $20 or $10 for anyone with a valid student ID. The event will be emceed by local news personalities and will feature musical performances by The Chosen 4. A silent auction and refreshments will accompany the benefit.\nEmily Donohue, a neighbor and committee member of the benefit concert, said the idea behind the benefit is to raise awareness about meningitis. \n"So many people want to do something to help them," Donohue said. "You just feel so helpless. This has been a great way for all of us to come together and support them."\nHundreds are expected to attend the event and show their support for Lee's continued recovery. The committee has received donations that will be auctioned off that evening, including two tickets to the Screen Actors Guild Awards, two tickets to an actors' party in Los Angeles, two airline tickets to anywhere in the continental United States and a tennis racket signed by Andre Agassi.\nDonated items for the auction are still welcome and monetary donations will also be accepted at any First Financial Banking Center or Old National Banking Center. \nThe fund-raiser is a way for all of the friends and family, who have asked what they could do to in the past, to lend a hand, said Tom Lee, Ashley's father.\n"You know the saying you can count your true friends on one hand?" Tom said about the amount of support the family has received. "Well, it takes a traumatic situation like this one to show you that it isn't true."\nToday, Ashley has undergone multiple surgeries to help combat the disease, and she is now reported to be out of critical condition at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, Tom said. Although she's showing signs of improvement, there are still multiple surgeries awaiting her.\n"She is in physical therapy for rehabilitation daily," Tom said. "She is now able to sit up and get into a wheelchair. She went outside for the first time on Saturday, and this is all within the last week."\nBecause of the severity of Ashley's condition and the emotional toll it took on many people, Donohue said she really couldn't talk about her.\n"It's been awful, and it's been pretty emotional," Donohue said. "And I don't think anyone can really understand what the family is going through. If you could see what they were going through, I think everyone would want to help.\n"She is making strides everyday to get better. It's just a day-to-day process, but they expect it is going to take her time."\nDonahue and Tom encourage students to attend the event. \n"I think that for the students to attend the event and show her support as friends is going to mean an awful lot to her," Tom said. "I highly doubt that she will be able to attend the event herself, but the idea of the event, it brings tears to her eyes."\nFor more information or to purchase tickets to the benefit, contact Genine Ireland at (812) 232-2046 or stop by the Terre Haute Boys and Girls Club at 220 N. Third St. in Terre Haute.\n"The best thing that IU students can do is to show up and show their support to Ashley and hope that she can come back next year and have the same fun experience they are experiencing," Donahue said. "Her life will never be the same"