Luke Pappert was an energetic, happy, kind, inquisitive little boy, always bouncing around and smiling. He loved the Army and wanted to be a soldier. He could often be found wearing his Army uniform and driving his tank around, with his little sister and his toy snake, Raindrop, as his sidekicks.
One of Luke’s other favorite things to do was fish. On September 12, 2020, six-year-old Luke was fishing with his dad, his grandfather, his six-year-old best friend, and his best friend’s father, when their boat was struck by another boater who was intoxicated and traveling at a high rate of speed. This tragic accident took the life of Luke’s grandfather, Jim, and injured Luke, his father, and his best friend. Luke was left with a severe traumatic brain injury. He is unable to communicate and unable to move on his own.
Luke has always been a fighter and he never gives up. Believing that Luke’s story is not done, his family is fighting to bring Luke back and give him the life that he deserves. He is undergoing extensive treatment to try and wake up his brain, rebuild neurologic pathways, and create new neurologic pathways.
A multi-family tent sale will be held Thursday, June 8, through Saturday, June 10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, June 11, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 32 Burritt Road, Hilton. The sale will be held rain or shine. No early birds, please. A wide variety of items will be for sale including home décor, household items, furniture, toys, vintage antiques, bicycles, jewelry, clothing (baby, child and adult), book (some very old), DVDs, VHS, games for PS2 and XBox360, and much more. Items will be half off on Sunday.
For more on Luke’s story, go to https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lukerickjimpappert2. Note that donations made to Caring Bridge do not go to the family. Monetary donations can be made directly to the family through the GoFundMe.com campaign “Help 3 generations of Papperts.”
The family is grateful to everyone who has contributed thus far through donations and bottle and can drives and thanks the community for their continuing support.
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