Local restaurant raising funds for 6-year-old fighting brain cancer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An Oak Grove 6-year-old battling brain cancer is seeing support that stretches beyond county and state lines.

This weekend, many are hoping a local fundraiser will help to be a huge push in financially helping his family.

Cru Bennett was diagnosed with brain cancer over a year ago. Support has been felt since, including with the help of t-shirts and school sports sales. This weekend, Catfish Charlie’s in Wellington is hoping to go big with a weekend full of fundraising efforts.

The restaurant is matching all donations and offering specials.

Cru is a first-grader at Oak Grove Primary. Thursday, he didn’t get to start with his fellow Panthers, instead, he started first grade at St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

“He has a slow-growing tumor by test, but almost a month ago it had almost doubled in size in a week,” his grandmother, Karla Garrett said.

“He missed his first day of kindergarten last year because he was at St. Jude’s, but (today) he started the first grade at St. Jude’s,” Garrett said.

Cru Bennett’s Panther pals from Oak Grove Primary sure miss him.

“People think Oak Grove is really small, but it has a really big heart,” Eric Mitchell, the Communications Coordinator with Oak Grove R-VI shared.

“I hope God will take care of you. I love you, Cru,” one of the cards made by fellow classmates reads.

“People just choosing kindness and empathy,” Mitchell added.

Cru’s, Karla Garrett says, Cru might be in Memphis a little while, getting treatment at St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

“Another month for sure, maybe longer. Depends on how he tolerates this treatment,” she shared.

“We have a unique situation… most people that are with St. Jude’s with their child. That is their family. They are at St. Jude with Cru. They leave behind an entire family. They have three more children. The two older ones are staying at home. Bills still have to be paid… groceries bought.”

Cru’s grandmother said within a few minutes of their family making a recent online post, the owners at Catfish Charlie’s in Wellington, Missouri, reached out and wanted to help.

“She messaged me saying they want to do something.”

“All weekend, we are donating 20% of sales, from all the food, drinks, on top of matching 100 percent of donations. We also have a drink called Cru’s Cure,” Cosette Spencer, the general manager of the restaurant said.

“He has a slow-growing, low-grade, tumor by test, but almost a month ago, he went for an MRI and it had almost doubled in size in a week,” Karla added. “Children’s Mercy was stumped, so that’s how we ended up a St. Jude’s.”

“This is our family’s second battle with childhood cancer. We lost my brother’s little girl, at 8-years-old. It’s hitting especially hard for us, to have to do this again,” she added.

You can also purchase t-shirts to help support or donate at GoFundMe .

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