Nic Brown at the Hotel del Coronado for an event being held in his honor.
Nic Brown has lived in Coronado for eight years. Tuesday night was the first time he visited the city’s most famous, most iconic landmark — the Hotel del Coronado. “This is really nice,” he said. Nic was on hand to attend an event in his honor, the first Supply Our Students (SOS) Community of Compassion Celebration.
SOS is a nonprofit that provides families in need with school related supplies and resources, such as clothing, transportation, group activities, educational resources and equipment. Each year, the group organizes a community event to spotlight an individual child or family.
The event, held at the Hotel del Coronado’s Sun Deck restaurant, had a lively atmosphere. There was a DJ spinning tunes, a face painter, teen karaoke, and slow motion videography by Justin Edelman of Footprint Film. Singer Brooke Harris and the Heart 2 Art Dancers performed numbers especially for Nic.
Nic suffers from myotubular myopathy (MTM), a genetic disease that prevents muscles from developing normally. He is unable to walk, has limited use of his arms, and has difficulty breathing. He gets around in a 400-pound motorized wheelchair with a ventilator attached.
Despite these challenges, Nic is a typical teenager. His teacher Lynn Hanson-Rowe described him as “aggravating, funny and smart, just what every high school student should be.”
Fred Dickey, a writer at the Union-Tribune, first drew the community’s awareness to Nic’s plight in December of 2014. Since then there has been outpouring of support for Nic. Notably, a GoFundMe account was set up to raise funds to buy a handicapped equipped van, and raised over $33,000. While not a small sum, the money raised was far less than his mother, Katherine Ball, needed to buy they type of specialized van Nic’s needs require. He needs one large enough to transport all of the medical equipment – including ventilation machines, oxygen tanks, and a portable Hoyer (a device that lifts Nic in and out of his wheel chair).
Nic Brown and his mother Katherine Ball. Photo curtsey of SOS
To help Ball raise additional funds, Coronado resident Charles Crehore of introduced Ball to Amel Esposito, President of SOS. “They both touched my heart,” Esposito said. As she got to know Nic and his mother, Esposito realized that they needed other life-sustaining and life-enhancing equipment.
Many of the 110 people who came to the Community Compassion Celebration donated money that will make life easier for Nic and Ball.
Mike Tontz, of Tontz Construction, pledged to spruce up Nic and his mom’s apartment by installing laminate floors, repainting the interior, and building cabinets to store Nic’s medical equipment.
Daybreak Games (formally Sony Entertainment) named Nic “Game Designer of the Day.” To go along with his new designation, Michelle Cagle, Senior Director of Global Communications, brought Nic a new PlayStation 4, plus games and accessories.
Many guests pledged a host of other donations. Valerie Gardner of GVAL Investments donated money for a HEPA air ventilator and accessories. She also pledged to donate 10% of her future Coronado real estate commissions to a fund for other items Nic will need.
For the next year Kara Gomes of Rose’s Hair Salon will cut Nic’s hair for free, and Ashley Linder of LinderKids will provide personal training. Nic also received a Nintendo 3DS and accessories from Brian Miller of Vault Auto Storage.
People not only opened their checkbooks to help out Nic and his family — they also opened their hearts. A host civic and business leaders, including Coronado Mayor Casey Tanaka, Fire Chief Mike Blood, and Chief of Police Jon Froomin, lined up to toast Nic and to thank him and his mother for being a part of our community. Mayor Tanaka even proclaimed February 10, “Nado Nic Brown Day.” Blood gave Nic an official firefighter’s T-Shirt to wear to the firehouse, where he’s to have lunch with the chief and other firefighters. Froomin promised to take Nic on a tour of the police department headquarters.
The police department and fires station aren’t the only tours Nic will be taking in the coming weeks. Cagle will also take him on a VIP tour of Daybreak Games headquarters.
Everyone spoke to Nic’s courage and how that courage inspired them.
“We are here tonight to thank Nic for teaching us,” said Coronado High School principal Jenny Moore. “You let us into your life. We hope to be a part of your life for many years forward.”
After listening to praise heaped on her son and seeing all the people who braved a chilly February night to be there, Ball said with great emotion, “I feel so much love. I’m honored to live here in Coronado.”
For SOS, the event was just the beginning. The group plans to continue to raise funds to buy Nic an electric and portable Hoyer device, as well as other needs Nic may have in the future.
As for Nic, he told his mom following the event, “This was the best night of my life.”
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Gloria Tierney
Staff Writer
eCoronado.com
