Benefit planned for area mom

Talk about it

A benefit dinner and live auction are planned for a mother and her newborn baby at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, May 6, at Roosters Roadhouse, 1767 County Road T, New Richmond.

Katie Wilcoxson was expecting her first baby in January, but in November 2011 she went into premature labor. She gave birth to her son, Wyatt, 10 weeks early.

Although healthy, Wyatt remained at Children’s Hospital and Clinics in St. Paul, Minn. for a time. As Wilcoxson, a Roberts resident, continued to drive for visits with her son, she suffered severe headaches.

Doctors eventually diagnosed her with a serious brain infection. Wilcoxson didn’t respond well to treatment and doctors later removed a portion of her skull to allow for the brain to swell and not cause brain damage.

Wilcoxson was placed in a medically induced coma and had several other surgeries to treat her medical issues. After several weeks, she was transferred to Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire for rehabilitation and she has now returned home with her newborn.

The Sunday benefit will help cover some of the expenses Wilcoxson has accumulated over the past six months. The event will include a meal, music and conversation. Music will be provided by Little Falls Music Makers and Hunyucks.

Monetary donations can be sent to Bremer Bank, C/O Katie Wilcoxson, 532 S. Knowles Ave., New Richmond, Wis. 54017.

Wilcoxson is the daughter of Laura Langness of Clear Lake and Rod Wilcoxson of Amery. She is the granddaughter of Neil (and the late Mary Jo) Wilcoxson of Hudson, and Emmett and Margaret Langness of New Richmond.

Tags: new richmond, communities, health