Kadin Nicolau, 13, of Long Beach, is seen here in this most recent school photo. Photo provided by Pat McKean.
UPDATE Friday, July 1, 10:15am | The second of two previously announced fundraisers for 13-year-old Kadin Nicolau, who was critically injured after being struck by a car on May 7, is just one week away,
The fundraiser, consisting of a concert and silent auction, is set for Saturday, July 9, and Sunday, July 10, said family friend Patrick McKean.
To be auctioned are a weekend rental from El Monte RV, a weekend timeshare in Big Bear, $1,000 worth of studio recording time, a catered private party for 10 people with Mediterranean food, golf packages, a garage door and installation, restaurant gift packages, an Ibanez guitar signed by “Noodles” of the Offpsring and other items.
A DJ will provide the early entertainment from 3 to 7 p.m. on the 9th, followed by six bands that will play throughout the night until 1 a.m. on the 10th. The bands include the Intruders, Cowboy Indian, Young Amerikans, Carpit, Anarchy Taco and All Day.
For more information, contact Stella Wheeler at [email protected] or Stacy at [email protected].
JUne 15, 6:30 a.m. | The latest in a string of fundraisers being held throughout the city for a 13-year-old boy who was critically injured when he was struck by a car in early May have been announced.
Patrick McKean, a journalism professor at Long Beach City College whose son was on the same Little League team as Kadin Nicolau, 13, who remains in the hospital following the May 7 accident that nearly cost him his life.
Since the accident, McKean has assisted the Nicolau family by organizing and promoting various grassroots fundraisers, proceeds from which are being donated to the family to help cover the young boy’s escalating medical bills.
“The family’s insurance may reach the cap, so the community is working hard to gather more support,” McKean said in a June 14 e-mail detailing the two upcoming fundraising events.
The first will take place on Monday, June 20, beginning at 11:30 a.m. and continuing on until 12:30 a.m. on June 21 at the Beach Club, 5755 E. Pacific Coast Highway.
McKean said that Beach Club co-owners Ben Goldberg, Steve Hoy, Mark Ziegenhagen and Dave Sissons Mark Ziegenhagen and Dave Sissons have offered to donate 10 percent of any purchase made at the restaurant and bar during this time frame to the Nicolau family. Customers must present a flier to the establishment upon paying their bills in order for the 10 percent to be set aside. Fliers are available by sending an e-mail to longtime family friend Stella Wheeler at [email protected].
The second fundraiser will be a silent auction organized by friends of the Nicolaus set for July 9. Organizers are currently seeking donated items to auction off for the fundraiser. Businesses and individuals interested in contributing should also contact Wheeler, a nurse who has known the boy’s mother, Kerri, for 30 years, at the aforementioned e-mail address.
In addition to the two upcoming events, McKean said that a PayPal account has been established, and anyone interested in making monetary donations can do so via PayPal by directing their contribution to [email protected].
Long Beach Schools Federal Credit Union is also accepting donations at its local branches or via mail to P.O. Box 4860, Long Beach, CA, 90804. Envelopes should be addressed “Care of Kadin Nicolau.”
It was right around 7 p.m. on May 7 when Kadin Nicolau was walking with friends in a crosswalk at the intersection of Carson Street and Studebaker Avenue. When the athletic teenager stepped off the median, he was hit by an oncoming car.
The Newcomb Academy seventh-grader suffered massive injuries that first responders and the medical team at Miller Children’s Hospital who have been treating the boy say should have cost him his life.
The avid soccer and baseball player suffered severe damage to his aorta, which required the placement of a stent. He also suffered major head trauma, causing cerebral edema, or swelling of the brain, so severe that surgery was required to relieve the boy’s intracranial pressure. And a number of his bones were fractured, including his femur, fibula and pelvis.
“Kadin Nicolau continues to show steady progress and has [been] moved to the rehabilitation section of Miller Children’s Hospital as he recovers,” McKean said.
Updates on Kadin Nicolau’s progress as he continues to recover can be viewed at CaringBridge.org/visit/kadinnicolau.