The Disloyal Few Motorcycle Club in Hinesville organized a bike run Nov. 2 to benefit Mason Tiner, an 8-year-old who was burned in a backyard fire in 2011.
Mason, his dad Brian and his friend, Caleb Hamacher, all were burned during a family gathering when a backyard fire pit flared up after someone used gasoline to get it started.
The children and Brian Tiner were flown by helicopter to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctor’s Hospital in Augusta immediately following the incident.
Almost three years after the fire, Mason still is undergoing treatment for burns on his face, chest and arms. His family takes him every six week to Shriners Hospital for Children in Cincinnati, Ohio, for laser treatments to soften his scars and boost skin elasticity.
“Mason is handling this all very well,” said Robin Tiner, Mason’s mother. “It slowed him down initially, but he becomes stronger every day.”
Shriners Hospital is one of only three hospitals in the nation that offers this type of laser treatment for young burn victims. The treatment has improved the scars on Mason’s chest and arms, but the scaring on his face is thick and will need more treatment.
“They have to put him to sleep during the treatment because it is very painful,” Robin Tiner said. “But he goes through surgery like a champ.”
The Tiner family belongs to the First Baptist Church in Hinesville, which is where the Disloyal Few Motorcycle club first heard The Disloyal Few Motorcycle Club in Hinesville organized a bike run Nov. 2 to benefit Mason Tiner, an 8-year-old who was burned in a backyard fire in 2011.
Mason, his dad Brian and his friend, Caleb Hamacher, all were burned during a family gathering when a backyard fire pit flared up after someone used gasoline to get it started.
The children and Brian Tiner were flown by helicopter to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctor’s Hospital in Augusta immediately following the incident.
Almost three years after the fire, Mason still is undergoing treatment for burns on his face, chest and arms. His family takes him every six week to Shriners Hospital for Children in Cincinnati, Ohio, for laser treatments to soften his scars and boost skin elasticity.
“Mason is handling this all very well,” said Robin Tiner, Mason’s mother. “It slowed him down initially, but he becomes stronger every day.”
Shriners Hospital is one of only three hospitals in the nation that offers this type of laser treatment for young burn victims. The treatment has improved the scars on Mason’s chest and arms, but the scaring on his face is thick and will need more treatment.
“They have to put him to sleep during the treatment because it is very painful,” Robin Tiner said. “But he goes through surgery like a champ.”
The Tiner family belongs to the First Baptist Church in Hinesville, which is where the Disloyal Few Motorcycle club first heard about the family’s story.
“We contacted the church to see if there was anyone in the community who we could help raise money for,” Disloyal Few Motorcycle Club President Jim Hayner said. “And they told us about the Tiner family.”
The club operates as a charity organization in the community. The group delivers baskets to needy families during Easter and has raised money for the senior center in Hinesville and for Saint Jude’s Hospital.
“We want to give back to the community in any way we can,” Hayner said. “We try to find a cause locally, and every dollar we raise helps someone in need.”
He said he and the club try to distinguish themselves from the negative side of motorcycle clubs shown in television shows. Their name, Disloyal Few, means they don’t go along with the “outlaw” side of the biker world.
“We want to change that image,” he said. “This is a brotherhood that’s focused on giving back to the community.”
Motorcycle clubs from Blackshear, the Booze Fighters Chapter 103 from Savannah, Sons of Smoke from Valdosta and the Iron Order from Jesup all participated in the 100-mile trek to support the Tiner family. Each club donated money to the cause, and many businesses in Hinesville sponsored the event. All together, the event raised $3,500 for Mason Tiner.
All the proceeds from the bike run went to help the Tiner family with their medical and travel expenses.
“We really appreciate this,” Robin Tiner said. “They didn’t have to do this; it is so nice of them.”
Members of the Tiner family rode on motorcycles with the group. Mason rode on the back of one of the first bikes in line.
“A lot of people have prayed for us for the past two and a half years, which we truly are grateful for,” Robin Tiner said. “We have seen a lot of miracles through all of this.”