Josh Sexson, Grant Jones and Cody Lee donated their earnings from the evening of Friday, Jan. 29 to Della Weber, who is fighting brain cancer. They hope she and her family will use the money in whatever way helps, because they have seen firsthand the financial toll fighting cancer takes.
Area referees make generous call; support a cause close to their own hearts
Della Weber and her family received a heartwarming surprise after the South Platte vs. Bayard basketball game Friday night, Jan. 29 when three referees donated their earnings from the night to help her fight with brain cancer.
Cody Lee, who grew up in Perkins County, has known Weber’s family for somewhere around 20-30 years. Her son, Lee said, is close in age to him, so they grew up competing against each other.
One of Weber’s daughters, Jenny Weber Reichman, has been the family’s photographer for many years, according to Lee’s wife Brooke.
Weber’s husband is currently the assistant girls basketball coach for South Platte, and their daughter Andie Cheleen is the head coach.
Lee has been an official for six years, so he has been close with the family through those years. When he heard about Weber’s diagnosis with brain cancer, it struck a cord for him.
He and his cousin Josh Sexson, who has been an official for two years, had lost their grandpa to cancer in 2019.
“We witnessed firsthand the financial burden of going to treatments,” Lee said.
He decided to collaborate with fellow referees Sexson and Grant Jones to find some way to help the Weber family.
“We thought what a better way than to donate our check from the evening,” Lee said.
The only people who knew ahead of time about Lee’s donation were his fellow officials and the school’s activities director.
The school was on board with the idea of donating their earnings from the night, so they wrote the check out to Weber directly rather than to each official.
“We wanted to keep it quiet so that it didn’t change anything during the evening,” Lee noted. “We expected the coaches to coach and be their normal selves.”
After the game, they went to the locker room as normal and got Weber’s check before presenting it to her.
“It was about honoring her and her fight for what she has been going through.”
The check totaled $520, which Lee said he wants the family to use for whatever they need during this difficult time.
Weber’s daughter Reichman said in a Facebook post Saturday, “This is the most impact a call you make will ever have and for that we cannot thank you enough. Thank you Cody Lee, Grant Jones and Josh Sexson. You have touched our hearts and we will never forget it.”