VIDALIA, La. – A few days ago, Maxine Saunders got to see her youngest grandson play baseball.

&uot;All the boys played good, … but he played especially well,&uot; Saunders, 66, said with a twinkle in her eye, despite taking a labored breath with every few words.

That would be a common occurrence for some, but for Sanders it’s nothing short of a miracle. The 66-year-old has muscular dystrophy that makes it difficult for her to sit up, much less get around. Three of her grown children, who live with and help care for her and each other, also have the disease.

And they didn’t have a dependable vehicle to get them to the doctor or the grocery store, much less the ballpark – until now. Last month, the family bought a slightly used van specially equipped for people with disabilities.

But the family, who live on disability checks, must pay off $18,400 owed on the van. So volunteers led by fellow Highland Baptist Church member Dowan Hornsby are holding a fund raiser for the family May 13 in the civic room of Concordia Bank in Vidalia.

Maxine was one of nine children, five of whom had the FSH type of muscular dystrophy before doctors knew the name of the disease.

Then when she had children, three had the same type of MD. Kathy, 42, and Lisa, 41, are affected from the waist down. Son Clay, 36, who coaches boys’ baseball in Vidalia, is affected from the waist up. Another daughter, 39-year-old Cherry Coley of Vidalia, has not been diagnosed with MD.

&uot;When we lived in Natchez, we were four of only 10 in Mississippi who had this type of MD,&uot;&160;said Lisa. The family moved to Vidalia five years ago – including Maxine’s husband, Charles, who died seven months ago from cancer.

There is no cure for the disease, although the four are taking an experimental drug to help alleviate some of the symptoms.

But the four find strength in Christ, and on Friday morning could be found singing hymns around the bed in which Maxine spends much of her time now. They get satisfaction from helping others in need.

&uot;I would mail packages for them, and I&160;would see from the address that they were sending care packages for overseas missions,&uot; said Hornsby, who regularly visits with the family and helps them with errands. &uot;One was full of Christmas gifts for children they had heard wouldn’t have gifts otherwise.&uot;

She said that knowing people who give so freely to others despite their difficulties has blessed her far more than she has blessed their family.

And now it appears that some of charity is coming back to the Saunders family in a big way, with many volunteers and donors pitching to make the benefit a success.

Longtime reporter Kathleen Stevens, who now works for Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office, is publicizing the fund raiser with press releases and is soliciting coverage from television stations.

Hornsby’s sister, Clara Frith, has made many visits and calls to local business to get items to sell or auction off at the benefit.

Items donated so far range from five cases of chicken to 75 bags of cypress mulch the group hopes to sell to gardeners at the event.

Members of Highland Baptist are making cakes and other desserts to sell and grilling hamburgers and hot dogs. Coca-Cola is providing sodas, and Captain Bernie’s is cooking chicken to sell. Hornsby’s fellow Beauti Control representatives are also donating cosmetics to sell.

The Saunders family, accomplished in crafts despite their disabilities, are even making items to sell at the event. Lisa, for example, is making cake-scented candles while Clay, a woodworker, is carving items to sell.

It is all worth it, they said, to finally have a dependable way to get around after their last van, a 1988 Dodge van, finally broke down.

The van is equipped with doors that open automatically, a ramp that folds and unfolds by itself and special fasteners to hold Maxine’s wheelchair in place.

&uot;The self-reliance is the best thing, … just the sense of freedom you get from knowing you go out and do the things you need to do,&uot; Kathy said.

&uot;Before, we had to call an ambulance before just to get our mother to a doctor’s appointment,&uot; Lisa added.

The next trip Maxine wants to take in the van is to Brookhaven to a birthday party for her sister. &uot;There are a lot of places I want to go yet,&uot;&160;Maxine said.