Brownsville family to host benefit concert for boy’s medical treatment

JACKSON, Tenn. — A Brownsville family is hosting a benefit concert to help a young boy receive his medical treatment.

“He was a normal, developing child. He was energetic, adventurous and daring, and just all boy,” said Katherine Rodgers, the mother of Ben Rodgers.

The family of four was enjoying a hot summer day in the backyard when things took an unexpected turn.

“On July 4, again part of that adventurous, daring personality, but he experienced a near fatal drowning,” Katherine Rodgers said.

It took 35 minutes to resuscitate Ben Rodgers. He went without oxygen long enough to where it caused severe damage to his brain.

“For the first week after his accident, we really weren’t sure if he was going to survive the catastrophic damage,” Katherine Rodgers said.

The damage was so bad that doctors thought he wasn’t going to survive.

Even during the pandemic, hospital staff allowed visitors into his room to say their goodbyes.

“He spent like six weeks at Le Bonheur, and they basically said, ‘His injuries are really severe. We don’t think that he’s ever going to walk or talk or do any of the typical things a boy his age should be able to do,'” Katherine Rodgers said.

Although doctors had doubts, Ben Rodgers’ family kept hope, and moved state to state to try to find different procedures.

It wasn’t until the family visited a doctor in New Orleans that they saw him make the most progress.

“One thing that I found was a treatment in New Orleans called hyperbaric oxygen treatment, and it has several different uses that are FDA approved, like for wound healing and for decompression sickness, but it’s not currently FDA approved to treat brain injuries,” Katherine Rodgers said.

The Rodgers family found this treatment to be the most effective, and began seeing Ben Rodgers do things he hasn’t done since before the accident.

Now, to continue this treatment without traveling, they’re needing $20,000 for an at-home hyperbaric chamber.

And to raise the money, they’re hosting a benefit concert.

“Both groups have been praying for us and following Ben’s story. They both felt like they needed to do more,” Katherine Rodgers said.

The benefit concert will be held Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. Allen Baptist Church in Brownsville.

You can find more details on Facebook.

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