Fundraiser planned for youth paralyzed after accident

By Julie Snyder
C & G Staff Writer

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Billy Luckett is described as fearless.

The athletic teenager’s talents on any BMX bike circuit and his skiing abilities were unmatched as he often took his body to its physical limit.

That all changed the evening of March 12 as Billy, 15, his father, Bill, and a friend of his father’s were riding snowmobiles on frozen Lake St. Clair near their Eagle Pointe neighborhood.

Billy wanted to ride just a little bit longer on his father’s newer snowmobile.

It is unknown just how fast Billy was traveling when he hit a pier, flew about 85 feet, and broke both legs, and sustained a closed head injury and severe spinal cord trauma.

His father was on the pier at the time of the collision. Bill performed CPR on his son until Billy’s mother Bev, a recent nursing school graduate, arrived and took over while an ambulance made its way to the scene.

At the hospital, family members feared the worst.

Within hours of the snowmobile crash, doctors had started the process of declaring Billy brain dead. That process ended when Billy responded to the doctor calling his name from across the room.

The spinal cord trauma, however, rendered Billy paralyzed from the neck down.

He went from St. John Hospital in Detroit to Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit. Recently, Billy was moved to Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for more intense therapy.

Billy began speaking about two months ago. He then began eating solid food, and the halo he was wearing to hold his spine, head and neck in place was removed earlier this month.

Also promising to doctors is Billy’s ability to track with his eyes the family dog Daisy, who a cousin snuck into the hospital for a visit.

St. Clair Shores residents Rick and Dawn Kennedy met the spirited and friendly boy through their son Ricky.

Ricky Kennedy and Billy met last year when both entered Lakeview High School as freshmen.

According to Rick, Billy’s family is constantly at his side.

“They are with him 24/7,” he said.

Which may have a lot to do with some of those miraculous achievements.

“The doctors have told him that it’s unlikely he will walk again, but you never give up hope. You don’t know,” Rick said. “He’s done many things the doctors said he wouldn’t.”

Rick has visited Billy numerous times since he and his wife Dawn has become close with the Luckett family.

“He’s pretty much the same old Billy,” Rick said. “He’s the same funny, sarcastic and polite teenage boy we fell in love with. He has an animated personality that just draws you to him.”

Following the accident, Rick and Dawn launched an effort to aid the family.

“When we found out, both because we knew Billy and as being parents, we knew we needed to do something,” Rick said. “You feel helpless and you want to help. And we need to show our kids you can take a negative situation and put a positive spin on it.”

“We knew right away when we heard that we wanted to help in some way,” Dawn said. “The news was absolutely devastating.”

Thus was born a planning committee for what eventually became a spaghetti dinner fundraiser.

The Kennedy’s did not know the Luckett family personally, though they knew there were some immediate family members living nearby.

Dawn said Billy often spoke of his Aunt Patty — Patricia Burnham — so she tracked her down.

“I went to her house and knocked on the door,” Dawn said. “She looked at me like she thought I was a salesperson.”

Dawn introduced herself and told Burnham of the plan. She received the Luckett family’s blessing.

The spaghetti dinner fundraiser for Billy Luckett will be held from 7 p.m. to midnight Friday, Aug. 29 at Vintage House, 31816 Utica Rd. in Fraser. Tickets are $30 at the door and $15 for kids 16 and under. Advance tickets are for sale at a discounted rate through Aug. 21.

“Now she and Billy’s grandma are on the committee,” Dawn said.

The planning committee can be seen around town donning T-shirts that read “We Believe” with a picture of Billy.

Rick said in addition to the bills that need to be paid, the Luckett family is renovating their home to accommodate Billy’s needs, including a wheelchair ramp, and they purchased a specialized van with a wheelchair lift.

And there is much more being done for Billy and his family, which includes his two younger sisters.

His friends at Lakeview High School held a can drive and raised $1,800, and the St. Clair Shores Hockey Association donated money, too. A part-time deejay at Maxx Productions heard about Billy and is donating his services at the spaghetti dinner, Dawn said.

Aunt Patty donated her annual garage sale proceeds towards the family’s living expenses, and neighbors chipped in too, raising nearly $700.

“What’s so amazing to me is in these difficult times so many people have opened up their hearts and their wallets,” Rick Kennedy said.

Dawn added that Philip Badalamenti, the St. Clair Shores orthodontist who put on Billy’s braces the day of the accident, came to the hospital when he learned doctors had to remove the braces because of his injuries. Badalamenti informed the family that they would not be charged for the service and that when Billy was better he would receive braces at no charge.

St. Clair Shores residents Doug and Denise Marocco, the owners of Poop Scouts, are giving the Luckett family one year of free service. In addition, the Maroccos are donating 25 percent of their fees to Billy’s trust whenever a customer mentions Billy Luckett.

The family’s church, St. Isaac Jogues, hosted a euchre tournament to raise money.

Dawn said Billy, an amateur professional BMX biker, frequented local ice cream shops, pizza parlors — specifically his favorite, Little Caesars, where he often enjoyed their signature Crazy Bread — and sub sandwich restaurants where he would perform bike tricks for free food.

The owner of three local Little Caesars franchises is donating Crazy Bread to serve at the spaghetti dinner, Dawn said.

“We thought that was very cool,” she said.

In addition, Cold Cow Ice Cream is displaying a Billy Luckett T-shirt and sold them there all summer, and Tim’s Bike Shop on Jefferson donated a General Lee bright orange BMX bike as a raffle prize at the dinner.

Dawn Kennedy said her son believes his friend will pull through in the end.

“Because he feared nothing,” she said.

Updates on Billy Luckett’s condition and links to local events and fundraising efforts can be found at www.Caringbridge.org/visit/billyluckett To purchase an advance ticket to the spaghetti dinner fundraiser, call Rick or Dawn Kennedy at (586) 445-3761 or e-mail rckddk@comcast.net