POWER — For a lot of parents, the worst thing imaginable is a child facing a medical emergency. For the Somerfeld family of East Helena, that fear became reality on Thanksgiving night.
"Our son Otto started to develop a fever that night on Thanksgiving," said Gus Somerfeld, Otto's father.
(WATCH: Small town of Power rallies around East Helena family fighting childhood leukemia)
What started as a fever for one-year-old Otto quickly turned into a trip to the emergency room. Over the following month, the family traveled to Colorado, where Otto's diagnosis was confirmed.
"Acute Myeloid Leukemia, AML. And really, they kind of rushed us down to — they didn't really beat around the bush. They did ask us if we had a preference on hospitals," Gus said.
AML is an aggressive form of blood and bone marrow cancer, accounting for around 15 to 20 percent of all childhood leukemia cases.
"They really had to spend the first probably a week or so, just getting him healthy enough to take on the chemo and really the nuts and bolts of the actual treatment," Gus said.
Over the course of six months, through photopheresis, chemotherapy, and the support of his family, the now three-year-old Otto was able to ring the bell — a hospital tradition marking the end of cancer treatment.
Through it all, the Somerfeld family didn't face the journey alone. Their friend Kelsy Diekhans, whose own son went through pediatric leukemia in 2015, understood what the family was going through.
"You still, as a parent, helping your child through pediatric leukemia — you have tough days," Diekhans said.
Diekhans and others in the community of Power organized a benefit event for the Somerfelds. For her, it was personal — and it was personal for the town, too.
"Otto's dad graduated from Power schools. And we have a saying back in Power that says, once you're a Power Pirate, you're always a Power Pirate. So, he's always going to be part of our community," she said.
Diekhans remembers what it felt like to be on the receiving end of that kind of support when her own family was in crisis.
For Diekhans, the response from Power is simply what small towns do.
"That's what small communities do best. We rally together and we help the people that are in need in our community," she said.
Gus says he is grateful for every bit of it.
"These places like Power just have the best of humanity to offer when they come together like this. So, I'm super grateful to my home, to my hometown for helping me out," he said.
The Brave Like Otto benefit is open to everyone. Doors open at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at the Power Community Legion Hall. The evening will include a pulled-pork dinner, speeches, and a silent auction, all to support the Somerfeld family.
