Angela Seamas of the Portuguese Fraternal Society of America and her group have a new fund-raising project this year.

The former president of the PFSA’s state youth division, who now heads the society’s group of 20- to 30-year-olds, said they will be raising money to help Baby Wyatt who was born premature with a rare congenital anomaly called absent pulmonary valve. The condition is so rare there are only about 200 cases known worldwide, she said. Of the 14 who have undergone heart transplants, none of them survived until they turned 20.

Baby Wyatt Edward Beeson, who is now one-and-a-half months old has already undergone heart surgery, Seamas said, at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center. He is the son of Kathryn and Jake Beeson, and is their second child. Their daughter is 2-year-old Chloe.

Kathryn is manager of Advance America in Manteca where Seamas works. Jake works for Schwan’s® grocery delivery service.

Throughout his hospital stay after birth, Baby Wyatt was on a feeding tube. His parents were able to bring him home Thursday last week. He was weaned from the feeding tube only on Wednesday, but “he’s fighting like a real trouper,” Seamas said.

Baby’s who are born with absent pulmonary valve have “no chance of surviving birth” without the life-saving surgery that he had, she said.

All proceeds from their fund-raising project will go to the Beeson family to help them with “out-of-pocket medical expenses,” said Seamas, the granddaughter of the late Manteca mayor Bill Perry.

She said they are starting their advertising early to get as many people as possible to take part in the drive-thru dinner to be held at Fagundes’ Meats & Catering on June 4 from 4 to 7 p.m. Tickets are now sale.

Last year, all proceeds from their drive-thru dinner fund-raiser went to help a grandmother who lost her home in a fire at El Rancho Mobile Home Park.

For more information on how to help Baby Wyatt and his family, or about the dinner benefit, call Seamas at 209.969.9601.