Popular MHS Jeans Day fundraiser benefits boy who had brain tumor removed

<i><b>Pictured in front holding the check are Ethan (left) and his brother, Joshua. Just behind them is more of Ethan’s family, including his mother Heather (to Ethan’s right), and to her left are Ethan’s Grandmother Debbie Jenne, Aunt Katie Jenne, and cousins Maddilyn Jenne and Makayla Jenne. Standing behind the family are just a few of the many MHS employees who support Ethan and his family in their journey.</b> Photo courtesy MHS</i> — Pictured in front holding the check are Ethan (left) and his brother, Joshua. Just behind them is more of Ethan’s family, including his mother Heather (to Ethan’s right), and to her left are Ethan’s Grandmother Debbie Jenne, Aunt Katie Jenne, and cousins Maddilyn Jenne and Makayla Jenne. Standing behind the family are just a few of the many MHS employees who support Ethan and his family in their journey. Photo courtesy MHS

ABILENE -- A special Memorial Health System (MHS) Jeans Day fundraiser proved to be quite popular in February.

Each month, employees who make a donation of at least $5 are allowed to wear blue jeans to work on the last Friday of the month.

A total of $860 was raised during the Feb. 26 Jeans Day event, MHS noted.

"This was, by far, the largest donation made for a Jeans Day by the employees of MHS," the organization reported.

What was so special about this particular Jeans Day fundraiser? The MHS Employer of Choice committee, which organized the fundraiser, had decided to donate funds raised Feb. 26 to Ethan Gustin and his family.

Ethan had surgery last December to remove a brain tumor, according to information from MHS. He recently began chemo and radiation treatments for six weeks in Kansas City.

Since September 2017, MHS employees have donated $10,553.75 to various organizations and causes in Dickinson County.