Zeth and Betsy Lundy, owners of Central Street Farmhouse in downtown Bangor, a beer-brewing, baby care and DIY home supply store, gave birth to their third child, Mabel, on Friday, Nov. 15. On Nov. 16, they got the news that no parent ever wants to hear: their daughter had a congenital heart defect, and would have to be rushed via LifeFlight helicopter to Boston to have emergency surgery.
Though little Mabel is expected to make a full recovery, the Lundy’s do not have health insurance, and the medical bills are mounting — most significantly, the helicopter flight and the cost of staying in Boston.
It’s a testament to how close-knit the downtown Bangor community is and how integrated Central Street Farmhouse is into daily life that Anne Schmidt, a part-time employee of the business and a co-owner of Coespace in downtown, launched a fundraising campaign online to allay the costs. Within four hours of the GoFundMe campaign going up online, nearly $1,700 had been raised already. Schmidt hopes to raise $20,000, altogether.
“The fund was started for the Lundy’s when their family and the staff at CSF learned, literally, overnight that the babies’ health had taken a turn and that she was being sent to Boston with the possibility of immediate heart surgery,” said Schmidt. “Knowing that the out-of-pocket medical bills this family is going to be saddled with are going to be astronomical, we as a staff and some of their immediate family jumped into action to start raising money.”
So far, so good. Mabel, now six days old, has not gone in for her surgery yet — she may not need it, when all is said and done, but either way both she and mother and father are in for a significant stay in the hospital.
In addition to the campaign, the Darling’s Ice Cream for a Cause truck will be parked in front of Central Street Farmhouse from 2 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21. People can get a free ice cream in exchange for a donation to the Lundy’s medical fund.