Special Henry Rifles To Aid 3-Year-Old Leukemia Patient
Henry Repeating Arms donates 65 custom rifles to assist 3-year-old Michigan girl’s leukemia battle.
Under Henry Repeating Arms’ charitable “Guns For Great Causes” banner, company President and owner Anthony Imperato is donating a series of 65 custom “Prayers For Preslie” edition Henry rifles to raise funds for the family of a 3-year-old Michigan girl battling leukemia.
The rifles are available for purchase directly through Henry’s website except for the first and last in the series, which are up for auction on Gunbroker.com. All of the proceeds collected from the “Prayers For Preslie” rifles will be presented to the Mantsch family of Iron River, Michigan.
Family Receives Devastating News
In April of this year, amidst a worldwide pandemic, Preslie Mantsch was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The news was delivered over the phone to her father, Thomas Mantsch, who was waiting in the Milwaukee Children’s Hospital parking lot, unable to be in the same room as his daughter and Preslie’s mother due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Thomas is a frontline healthcare worker and first responder in his town’s ambulance and fire department.
Preslie is currently undergoing treatment in Milwaukee, four and a half hours away from home, four to five days a week, and she still has two years of treatment left.
“Preslie is a magical, kind-hearted, wonderful, smart, and caring little girl,” Thomas said. “She has a fighting spirit, and I am praying that she beats this.
“It is nerve-wracking to be working so close to the coronavirus frontlines with a daughter that is immunocompromised because of her chemo. We’re taking every precaution to keep her safe, but it’s hard.”
Special Edition Henry Rifle Has Engraved Stock
The “Prayers For Preslie” Edition Golden Boy Silver rifle, chambered in .22 S/L/LR, features a nickel-plated receiver cover, buttplate, and barrel band with a deeply blued steel octagon barrel. The genuine American walnut buttstock is engraved with an orange leukemia awareness ribbon in the middle of stylized butterfly wings, symbolizing hope and Preslie’s endurance. Above the butterfly are the words, “Prayers For Preslie,” in matching bright orange. Baron Engraving of Trumbull, Connecticut, donated the engraving work and hand-painted details. Each rifle in the series is marked with a unique serial number ranging from “PRESLIE01” to “PRESLIE65.”
“It is heart-wrenching to think of what children like Preslie and their families have to go through when they get a diagnosis as serious as leukemia,” Imperato said. “We get so personally invested into each of our Guns For Great Causes benefits as soon as we see the first photo of the kid’s smile and we hope this goes a long way to helping the Mantsch family in these most challenging of times.”
Two Henry Rifles To Be Auctioned
To learn more about the “Prayers For Preslie” Edition Henry Rifle or to make a purchase, visit www.henryusa.com/prayersforpreslie. The auction for serial number “PRESLIE01” is available on Gunbroker.com, item #880628196. The last rifle in the series, “PRESLIE65,” is also listed on Gunbroker.com, item #880628718. Both auctions end on October 20.
All firearms purchased through Henry Repeating Arms must be shipped to a licensed firearms dealer. For more information about Henry Repeating Arms and its products, go to HenryUSA.com or call 866-200-2354.
Steven Paul Barlow is a retired sergeant/station commander and former firearms instructor with the New York State Police. He is an avid hunter, fisherman, and enthusiast with all things related to firearms, knives, and survival. He has been writing on outdoor topics for more than 35 years. His collections of outdoor humor stories are available at BriarHill Books.