MERIDIAN - When Gerry Thomson was diagnosed with cancer his whole world changed.

But with the help of friends and family he had a day that he will never forget.

Having lived in the town of Ira his whole life, Gerry and his wife, Brenda, have neighbors that can be counted on.

“Ira is a small community and when someone is having a problem we all pull together,” said family friend and neighbor Linda Watson during a tractor pull benefit given in Gerry's honor Saturday afternoon at the Meridian Fire Department in Meridian.

Watson was one of several committee members who has spent the past month putting together the benefit to assist the Thomson family with medical and other costs associated with Gerry's illness.

Since being diagnosed with cancer, Gerry has been out of work and Brenda, a nurse, has taken a leave from work to care for her husband.

“If you can't count on your neighbors who can you count on,” Watson said.

Watson said that she has lived across the street from the Thomson's for many years, and had even baby-sat Brenda when she was a young girl.

The benefit began with a garden tractor pull in the morning, followed by a full lunch menu.

A raffle and auction was made possible by many donations received by area residents and businesses, Watson said.

Immediately following the tractor pull the afternoon was spent socializing with friends and family while live music was performed.

“He is a good man,” Watson said. “He has lived here his whole life. Our community is small and we become like family.”

In addition to his wife, Gerry has two sons, Donald and Gerald Jr., as well as several grandchildren.