‘Outpouring of generosity’

COSTA MESA — On Friday, Bill Thomas moved his toe. His father, Costa Mesa resident Charlie Thomas, thought that a good sign and said it made Bill Thomas’ wife, Julie Thomas, “ecstatic.”

On Jan. 30, Bill Thomas, a longtime Costa Mesa resident, had a very rare stroke that paralyzed him from the neck down.

Before it happened, Thomas was a doer. He skied, snowboarded, rode motorcycles and loved to horse around with his kids and the neighbor kids. He was his family’s handyman and worked as a mechanic in town.

After a lengthy stay at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Julie Thomas was able to transfer her husband to the Shepherd Center, a Georgia hospital that specializes in spinal injuries. But medical, travel and other costs continue to mount as the family maintains positive thinking about Bill Thomas’ uncertain future.

To help offset the costs, almost 100 friends, family members and neighbors of the Thomas family gathered Saturday to support the Thomases — with their thoughts and their wallets at a fundraiser put together by the Halecrest and Hall of Fame Homeowners Assn.

“This could happen to any of us, and this is a special community — Bill used to live here; his mom and dad still do — and when something happens to a neighbor, we get behind them,” homeowners association President Mike Brumbaugh said Saturday morning at the fundraiser in his frontyard. “If something happened to us, we would hope somebody would be there for us, for our families.”

Charlie Thomas said his son’s “attitude is fantastic” despite having to use a respirator to breathe. While Julie and Bill Thomas continue on his road to recovery, their two sons Keoni, 3, and Makaio, 8 months, split their time between their two sets of grandparents.

At the fundraiser, so many raffle tickets were sold that the association representatives had to send somebody to get more tickets. People from all over the neighborhood, and outside, donated items including hand-built beach cruiser bikes, Surfrider Foundation T-shirts, wine baskets, golf clubs and a slew of other goodies. People munched on doughnuts and muffins while sipping coffee, talking about the Thomas family and another upcoming fundraiser.

“When I read about what happened … I was just shocked…. We just want to do everything we can for the family,” Costa Mesa resident Dorothy Cittell said at the fundraiser.

Not only will the medical costs continue to rise, but Charlie Thomas is also working with friends on designs to make his son’s house workable for a paralyzed man — something that is not going to be cheap.

Everyone is invited to the Harborside Restaurant’s Grand Ballroom from 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday for raffles, a silent auction, dancing, appetizers and family-friendly activities to benefit the Thomas family.

Halecrest neighbors will host a casino night at the Halecrest Clubhouse from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. April 27.

“We just love Bill so much, and we hope he comes back to us like he was…. Thank you so very much,” Charlie Thomas told the crowd outside Brumbaugh’s home. “The outpouring of generosity has been amazing.”

HOW TO HELP

Go to www.neighborbill.com for health updates, messages from family and friends, photos and donation information.

Donations can be made in Bill Thomas’ name through any Washington Mutual Bank using account number 3154257296, payable to Bill Thomas’ mother, Carolyn Thomas. Donations can also be made by sending a check to Carolyn Thomas, PMB #51, 1175 Baker St., E-19, Costa Mesa, CA 92626; or Washington Mutual Bank, Attn: Ms. Raquel Myers, 3978 Barranca Parkway., Irvine, CA 92606.

For more photos from Saturday’s fundraiser click here.