SWATARA TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Diagnosed with cancer, a local 7-year-old boy remains unresponsive in the hospital after undergoing surgery for a brain tumor. His community is now rallying to help his family.
On Saturday, The Swatara Volunteer Fire Department held a barbecue fundraiser to support the family of Nick Pritchard. Nick is still in the hospital and hasn't woken up in six weeks. When the fire company heard about the community's prayers for the little boy, they decided they wanted to give back.
"We immediately wanted to help," Swatara VFD Assistant Fire Chief Bryan Beistline said. "We wanted to get the community involved, wanted to get the fire department involved in do everything we can to show the family that there is still good in the world and we still want to come together."
Nick's family says they're grateful.
"It's amazing," Nick's mother, Samantha Pritchard said, "the support that we've had from our community, from our parish, from our whole family , friends, everything it's just been amazing."
The fire company reached its goal-- selling out of barbecue chicken. In his honor, a Facebook page has been set up by Nick's family called Prayers for Nick.