Boy 'adopted' by police agency

Kimberly A. Hayes didn't know much about Gonzales, Calif., until last week.

The Gonzales Police Department helped put the community, which is just over two hours south of San Francisco, on her map because it will be donating funds to her each year on behalf of her 4-year-old son, Shane D. Terry.

Sgt. Frederick J. Lombardi said he contacted the Watertown woman after he found a Watertown Daily Times article online about Shane, who has fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, or FOP.

FOP is considered one of the most disabling genetic conditions. It causes bone to form in muscles, tendons, ligaments and other connective tissue. Bodies eventually become locked up.

"We usually send out money to cancer research, but you never see the end result," Sgt. Lombardi said in a telephone interview Monday afternoon from the Gonzales Police Department. "We found a small picture and a link to the story, and we clicked on it. Once we read the story, the folks with me were hooked right then and there."

Sgt. Lombardi said the department, which is nearly 3,000 miles from Shane's Pine Meadows home, researched FOP through the International Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva Association.

He said police officers and community members on board with sending donations to Mrs. Hayes were shocked knowing their children wake up healthy every day, while FOP has already altered Shane's childhood.

Money left over from the police department's annual health and safety fair will go toward Shane's needs and FOP research.

"Shane will be the forever donation with that," Sgt. Lombardi said. "We want to be attached to it and see where it goes."

He said the police department made presentations to local municipalities, the local Rotary Club and other community organizations to help bring in donations.

With the help of King City, Calif., radio station KRKC and the local newspaper, the Gonzales Tribune, the Gonzales Police Department has helped raise more than $5,000.

Mrs. Hayes said she never thought people across the country would be touched by Shane's story and want to help as much as they have.

After some fact-checking of her own and finding out that Sgt. Lombardi was real, and she wasn't part of a scam, Mrs. Hayes said couldn't control her excitement.

"I never dreamed in my wildest dreams how things have happened since the Watertown Daily Times article was on the Web, through e-mails, and it went across the world," she said. "People called and sent cards, but none of us thought by any of this it'd touch this group of men and women 3,000 miles away."

Some people have even nominated Mrs. Hayes for the ABC television show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" after reading the article.

The Gonzales Police Department will make Shane an honorary member of the department and will send him a T-shirt police officers wear as part of their uniform.

Sgt. Lombardi said Shane will receive more surprises too when his package arrives the first part of December.

Sometime next year, a few officers with the Gonzales Police Department plan to visit Shane and his family.

Meanwhile, Shane's aunt, Tracy Largett, Mannsville, said she doesn't have a total amount calculated from an Oct. 18 benefit for Shane at Eagles Aerie 782, 19260 Route 11, Watertown.

Mrs. Largett said she could only guess the amount is about $10,000, but donations keep pouring in from all over the country.

Past Article: http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20081009/CURR04/810091392/-1/curr/Boy+limited+by+rare+bone+disease