Tracee Peterson to attend fundraiser, move back with family
Peterson, Tracee
Seven weeks after suffering a beating that almost took her life, Tracee Peterson will thank her supporters in person Saturday at her benefit event.
Once feared to never be anything more than a shell of her gregarious self, Peterson has made a recovery doctors call miraculous.
“All the way from the EMT, to the doctors to specialists at the hospitals, no one has ever given her a chance to be where she is today.” Peterson’s father, Ed Hanson, said.
Peterson will move into her parents’ house this week from Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center with no timetable for moving out. Outpatient facilities are the next step on a long remaining road to recovery.
One month ago Hanson spoke before a crowd gathered for a candlelight vigil about faith and community. Weeks of uncertainty met with consistently uplifting news emboldened the soft-spoken man. So has the community’s response.
Trips to the store routinely yield more than intended. Hanson recently went to grab a coffee at Main Street Perk, Peterson’s former place of employment, only to find seven boxes of food waiting for him and the five grandchildren now living with him and his wife, Trish Hanson. A group from Bonner’s Ferry sent two boxes of food so full Ed Hanson could not lift them. Friends from the Troy Church of God relieve the Hansons from dinner duty two nights a week.
“They cook for kids — lasagna, tacos, fried chicken,” Ed Hanson said.
Peterson is now eating soft foods. A feeding tube was removed and Peterson has discovered a newfound appreciation for yogurt.
A group of eight of Peterson’s friends began planning Saturday’s event when Peterson was in a coma and her life was still in question.
“We are just so thrilled for her to be able to see the outpour of support she has,” Brenda Goe, one of the organizers, said.
The event will begin at 3 p.m. at Troy Elementary School’s gym. Until 7 p.m. there will be a carnival, auction and chili feed at $5 a plate. The event will move to the Troy VFW at 8 p.m. Another auction will be held and music will be played by the Copper Mountain Band.