WILTON, Iowa — The courage of one little girl is inspiring hundreds of people in her hometown of Wilton to  reach out to others.

Friday, Dec. 14, concludes a community-wide toy drive established in honor of 4-year-old Josie Wathan, who is being treated for the progressive inflammatory disorder, Rasmussen’s encephalitis.

As of now, the disorder is considered incurable, but Josie’s doctors are taking steps to slow down its progression. Rasmus-sen’s encephalitis most often strikes children under age 10 and is characterized by frequent and severe seizures, loss of motor skills and speech, dementia and mental deterioration. The disease usually affects only one half of the brain, but in Josie’s case, both hemispheres are affected.

Josie receives treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and people who visit her there know about the many other children who often call the hospital home.

Lisa Syring of Wilton said she wanted to get a stuffed-toy drive under way after she and her husband Scott took their son Cole, 5, to visit Josie at Mayo Clinic this fall.

Cole and Josie became friends about two years ago when they began attending Zion Lutheran Preschool together.

“Walking into Josie’s room and hearing her call out Cole’s name made the 4 ½ -hour drive worth it,” said Lisa.

The visit left another impression.

“You could see the children at Mayo were used to the routine of being in the hospital,” said Lisa. “I thought, ‘They should be outside playing and going to school. Kids this young shouldn’t have all these concerns.’”

Amy Marthaler, a central office clerk at Wilton Junior Senior High, volunteered to help Lisa with a toy drive and the project grew.

Leah Duffe, Josie’s cousin and a member of the Wilton Junior High School Student Council, discussed participating in the drive with her fellow council members and was especially pleased when they decided to help.

Jennifer Turner-Peterson, the seventh- and eighth-grade counselor and student council  adviser, said the students usually do a food drive in the fall, but decided to conduct the stuffed-toy drive instead this year.

Wednesday afternoon, Josie’s mother, Angie Wathan, surveyed the nearly 100 toys that had been collected at Wilton Junior High.

“It’s been neat to see how Josie’s condition has opened everybody’s heart at Christmastime,” said Angie.

On Saturday, the Syrings will rent a U-Haul to take the toys to Mayo. They will add the student council’s collection to hundreds more that have been collecting at seven different sites in the Wilton and Durant area.

The Syrings won’t see Josie when they go to Mayo this time. She is receiving rehabilitation therapy at Genesis West in Davenport after undergoing brain surgery last month at the Cleveland Center Children’s Hospital.

Josie had a hemispherectomy, the removal or disconnection of one side of the brain from the other. The operation is targeted at ending the seizures on the left side of her body. Josie’s father, Jesse, 34, has said the surgery can give his daughter a better quality of life while doctors monitor the left side of her brain and continue doing whatever they can to stop the progression.

Angie, 29, said her family is  blessed by the community’s support.

Jesse, a Palmer Chiropractic College student, is waiting to finish his degree so he can stay home and care for his little girl while Angie, who owns Wathan Chiropractic in Wilton, continues her practice.

In mid-October, Allsteel of Muscatine and the Make-A-Wish Foundation sponsored a trip to Disney World in Florida for Josie and her parents.

In November, friends and family conducted a benefit for Josie at at the Wilton American Legion which was attended by approximately 600 people.

The Wathans aren’t the only ones benefitting from these

projects.

The students at Wilton say they have been inspired by the success of their toy drive.

“This shows the future of the community,” said Abbi Leathers, an eighth-grade council member. “If we can do this as young people, we will be doing this as adults.”

And while the community showers her with love and concern, Angie said her little girl doesn’t think of herself as

being ill.

“She knows she has seizures,’ said Angie. “And we tell her bits and pieces. But she thinks of herself as a regular kid.”

To Donate

Persons interested in donating outdoor Christmas decorations for Babyland are asked to contact Tom Brehmer at Memorial Park Cemetery, 563-263-8842

Reporter contact information

Cynthia Beaudette 563-262-0527

cynthia.beaudette@muscatinejournal.com