Saturday night was filled with light, love and Lucy as the community came together to support a little girl’s battle with cancer.
Approximately 280 folks attended a fund-raiser for Lucy Holt, of Oxford, held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Orion Township. The event netted more than $26,000 to help her parents, Bryan and Laura Holt, pay the mounting medical bills.
“I love her madly and I am so grateful for tonight and for all of you,” Laura said. “I just can’t thank you enough. I don’t think I could ever put it into words.”
“We’re so blessed,” Bryan said. “I love everyone here. Thank you so much for everything.”
Lucy, who celebrated her first birthday Sept. 21, was diagnosed with fetal-type hepatoblastoma, a very rare type of liver cancer. She had the right side of her liver, which contained three malignant tumors, removed Sept. 5 at Boston Children’s Hospital.

To ensure that any potential microscopic cancer cells aren’t given the opportunity to grow, Lucy is currently undergoing chemotherapy. She started Sept. 25 and must receive four rounds, each lasting 21 days.

“She’s having a hard time tonight, guys,” Laura told the crowd during the fund-raiser. “This round of chemo has been a little rough.”
But little Lucy, who is the granddaughter of Bob Holt, senior pastor at Oxford’s Christ the King Church, isn’t letting it get her down. She’s still fighting as hard as she can.
“She is the strongest person I have ever met in my entire life,” Laura said.
Lucy’s been dealing with major health issues since birth. She was born with Mosaic Trisomy 18, a genetic disorder that caused the formation of holes in her tiny heart. More than 15 holes were successfully repaired in her septum (the wall of muscle that separates the left and right sides of the heart) during a major surgery performed at Boston Children’s Hospital on March 31.
There’s “no doubt” in Laura’s mind that Lucy “has come into our lives to teach us a whole new perspective on everything.”
“It’s been a year. It’s been a heck of a year,” she said. “I couldn’t have done it without everybody here. Every single person in this room has played a part.”
“We couldn’t have done it without the community, without the support, the prayers, people bringing us food, helping us pay off medical bills,” Bryan said.
The fund-raiser was organized by Metamora resident Laura Murphy, a 1978 Oxford High School graduate and member of Christ the King Church.
Murphy understands what the Holts are going through because back in the early 1990s, her little boy, Joel, was battling neuroblastoma, a type of cancer, and the Oxford community held multiple fund-raisers to help her family. Unfortunately, Joel passed away in January 1994 at the age of 2.
“Today would have been my son’s 26th birthday,” she told the crowd.
When she was planning the fund-raiser and learned Nov. 18 was one of the available dates, Murphy “knew it was a sign from God that I needed to proceed.”
“This has got God all over it, from the very beginning to the very end,” she said.
A total of $6,700 in cash sponsorships were provided for the “We Love Lucy” fund-raiser.
Sponsors included Jill Bailey, Clarkston Internal Medicine, North Oakland Dental Group, Starrs Roofing, Modetz family, D.L. Acton Trucking, Cutting Edge Salon, C&M Contracting, Inc., Norm and Lisa Marie Fredericks, Dunaskiss family, Curtis Floor Covering, Loush family, Willows Edge, Inc., Oakland Arbor Care, Pat King, Jim Upthegrove, Thompson family, and Rochester Cleaning Co, LLC.
Food items and coffee service were donated by Red Knapp’s American Grill, Concho Pearl: Texas BBQ and Drafthouse, CenterSquare Superstore, Starbucks and ABeanToGo. Elegant Linens provided the chair covers and table cloths.