St. Albans , Kanawha County , West Virginia

The community is rallying around a little boy who has overcome remarkable odds, but he still has a long road to recovery.

Back in August, 8-year old Gabe Griffith was taken to the hospital for stomach cramps, but within a few hours he went into heart failure and doctors told his family he had massive brain damage and would not survive.

After 54 days in the hospital, his family brought him home to the Kanawha Valley, where he was not expected to live for more than a month, but to everyone's surprise he started recovering.

Gabe is now in a Morgantown hospital for treatment, where's he is responding to commands and sitting up, but it could still be a year or more before he is fully functioning.

Karle Griffith,Gabe's father, is a pastor at Garrison Avenue Freewill Baptist Church in Charleston and says the community support has been overwhelming. He says that and their faith has helped them through this difficult time.

A benefit is scheduled for Gabe and his family this coming Saturday, February 11th at the Highlawn Baptist Church in St. Albans, located at 2304 Jefferson Avenue -- where Mr. Griffith formerly serves as a youth pastor.

They will offer dinner, a benefit gospel sing and have a lot of items to auction off, including sports memorabilia from Barry Sanders and WVU football players. Singer Blake Shelton even made a donation for the auction. The benefit will begin at 5pm.

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