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Concert to help Glenbard East sophomore who was burned in fire pit explosion

Autumn Hamilton is a restless teenager.

Her sister will say Autumn hates shopping and would rather enjoy the outdoors, by boat, bike or WaveRunners.

So to see Autumn, an athletic 16-year-old, confined to her hospital bed makes her painful ordeal all the more agonizing for her family.

Nearly three months ago, the Glenbard East High School sophomore and cheerleader suffered third-degree burns on 40 percent of her body in a fire pit explosion at a house party in Glendale Heights.

Even with her injuries, it's sometimes hard for Autumn to keep still.

For her own safety, Autumn remains in a medically induced coma most of the time, her aunt, Dahlia O'Connor, wrote earlier this month on a fundraising page for her medical bills. “Despite that, the nurses have their hands full on a daily basis as Autumn does her best to get out of her bed.”

As her family focuses on her recovery in the burn unit at Loyola University Medical Center near Maywood, Margarita Rivera and her close friend, Annette Bennett, have offered their help and their understanding as loved ones of sick kids.

“As a parent, you hurt because you want to take the pain away and you can't,” Rivera said. “But we can be of some kind of support to this family, and that's what we want to do.”

Rivera and Bennett are planning a benefit concert for Autumn and her family through their charity, For the Love of Lee, named after Rivera's 13-year-old son and run out of their Berwyn church.

Rivera and Bennett organized their first concert in 2014, raising $50,000 for the construction of an accessible bedroom and bathroom for Lee, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a degenerative and incurable disorder that eventually causes paralysis.

“A community came together to help us, and I made a promise — I'm a woman of faith — that I would continue to help,” Rivera said.

That project spawned fundraising efforts to cover the out-of-pocket expenses of four other families with kids living with serious and terminal illnesses. The foundation also got a boost with a $25,000 donation by the Chicago Federation of Labor in September.

Rivera remains active with the group even as her son's condition worsens and she cares for her mother, who has dementia.

“She's given 110 percent to others,” Bennett said. “She's amazing, but we couldn't do it without each other.”

They learned of Autumn's injuries after a fellow parishioner of St. Leonard Catholic Church and an employee at Loyola University Medical Center asked her family if they would be interested in a referral to Lee's namesake charity.

Bennett, the group's fundraising coordinator, keeps in regular contact with Autumn's aunts to give her parents the space and time to grapple with the grueling, yearslong road to recovery that lies ahead of the teen. But Bennet and Rivera also offer their emotional support.

“I don't have a problem hugging and crying with families because I understand their pain,” Rivera said.

Autumn has lost eight of her fingertips and her left ear but retains her hearing. As part of her treatment, she's had a series of skin graft procedures and works with physical therapists daily.

But her sister, Brooke, sees a resilient survivor in Autumn. Brooke wrote a reflection ahead of the concert July 21 at St. Leonard, calling Autumn a supportive sibling who loves strawberry shortcake ice cream bars and “never hesitates to call grandma for a quick run to the store.”

“Although the incident has put a huge toll on my sister's life physically, mentally and emotionally,” Brooke Hamilton wrote, “I know her strong, outgoing, competitive personality will help her fight through this!”

An online fundraiser created to defray Autumn's medical costs has raised nearly $135,000. But donations to the For the Love of Lee nonprofit are tax-deductible and also will go to Autumn's family in addition to proceeds from the concert, Bennett said.

She hasn't met Autumn yet, and doesn't want to until after the benefit. That's because Bennett and Rivera hope to be able to give her an uplifting gift: a memory book of pictures from “Autumn Summerfest.”

“We've got to give her at least a little happiness,” Rivera said.

“Autumn Summerfest” fundraising concert for Autumn Hamilton

<b>When:</b> 5 p.m. July 21

<b>Where:</b> St. Leonard Catholic Church, 3318 Clarence Ave., Berwyn

<b>Admission:</b> Free

<b>Details:</b> Bands, DJ, food and alcohol for purchase along with split-the-pot raffles

<b>How to help:</b> Tax-deductible donations can be sent to St. Leonard Church, 3318 S. Clarence Ave., Berwyn, IL 60402, or made at any BMO Harris Bank to For the Love of Lee

<b>Info:</b> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fortheloveoflee2014">Facebook.com/fortheloveoflee2014</a>

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