Slipper Drive Success!

Thank you everyone from Team Jaylie!! You guys are so awesome to help us out with this slipper drive of Jaylie's!! We have collected over 1250 pairs of slippers for the children with cancer! So amazing! When we made the goal of 1000 pairs, I was skeptical that we could actually make it. I was proved wrong. Thank you thank you! The kids are loving them and it has gotten a really good response. We will probably do it every year around Christmas time because the kids and parents loved it and it was a huge success thanks to all of you! We appreciate the slippers, money, gift cards, and sharing it with others. We got a lot of really generous donations and are so appreciative. We pray that you all will be blessed for it. Thank you!

Here are some pictures :)

Jaylie with the slippers that came in from the Texas Land and Cattle locations. There was around 115 from there. I love how Arronda organized them! Thank you!!

She had the kids decorate sugar cookies and had juice for them and everything. Even had Christmas music playing in the background. The kids loved it!

Jaylie with Arronda the day after we got the slippers from her. I pulled Jaylie out of school for an endocrinology appointment and we met her real quick at Chick fil A before the appointment. Jaylie had pajama day at school :) She had a gift for Jaylie but didn't want to give it to her in front of the other kids :) So thoughtful! She gave her a lamb book and stuffed lamb that sings when Jaylie was first diagnosed. This day she gave her lamb slippers, a lamb ornament and a picture of Christ holding a lamb. So neat! Thank you Arronda! 

Look in the clear tub with the blue lid - Crew is in it :) He loved playing in the boxes and bins. 

This is the second big batch of slippers along with the toys from Jaxon's mom, the True Hope dolls from Eileens project and the toys from Kristen Duke.

Jaylie was awesome at helping organize the slippers into boy and girl piles and then sizes. It was fun! My mom is with Jaylie in this picture. She helped me out so much!

Jaylie up at the cancer clinic standing by her slipper bins. We put the kids ones here under this tree and then teenage sized ones in the teen room under their tree.

A couple of the kids posing with their slippers.

Jaylie and her friend Dani. Dani's family collected and bought slippers and brought them over. So glad we got a picture, so many times I didn't take a picture when people brought them. It really is so amazing that so many people participated. There are so many good people in this world.

This is the third big batch of slippers.

We stapled these tags onto all the pairs of slippers. It was a lot more work than we thought it was going to be :) But it was so fun.

Jaylie posing with slippers. All of these came in after we took the second big batch to the hospital. If we had them all in our house at once, it would have taken up this whole entire room and more. So awesome!!

Jaylie holding one of the fliers we made for Great Harvest Bakery. They put in a laminate sleeve and had it on a bin full of slippers that they brought us. Thank you!!

The biggest package we got came from Georgia. A friend of ours there collected slippers from her friends and people in her ward. It was so fun getting them! Thank you Georgia Families!!

Stitches

Here are some pictures from Jaylies little surgery. The second picture is of Jaylie's stitches from her surgery to take the abnormal bone out of her skull. They will go back in sometime in the next month or two and cover up the hole in her skull with bone from different part of her skull so its protected.




Crew was so excited to see her afterwards :)




Right after surgery

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Every time we go to clinic I try to take a picture of Jaylie in this same exact place. One of these days I will put them all in a post together, its amazing to see the difference over the last year and a half.

Christmas Sunday

Some pictures from Christmas Sunday. Breklyn was not in a good mood and did not want to take pictures. You will see her mad face in some of them below :)

Opening their new dresses and tie on Christmas Sunday morning. They were so excited!

Kendyll came home for Christmas and came over to visit! The kids were all so happy to see her!

We now have collected over 750 slippers! Thanks to all of you!! We went up to the hospital tonight and delivered some slippers, along with toys and cd's from Jaxon's family, some True Hope dolls from a friend in NY, and some toys from our friends Joy project. It was a great night. Thank you everyone for being part of it!!




We organized the slippers by size and in girls and boys bins. We had all these here, more at home, and a lot were already passed out in clinic this last week. It's a lot of slippers :) We attached little Merry Christmas tags onto them too.


Jaylie helping push some slippers and toys.


We all went plus my parents and two siblings and our friend Shelly.



We left the party to take stuff to the oncology floor for the patients who couldn't come down for it. We took slippers, toys, and cancer dolls.


Jaylie gave slippers to a teenage boy on the oncology floor and a few minutes later he came out of his room and gave her this bracelet. It was so sweet and she was so excited.



Seeing Santa at the blood and cancer center party. He was awesome, he came into the room singing and was so jolly the whole time he was there :) His child is a cancer survivor so he loves coming to the hospital and clinic. So neat.




All the younger boys liked Kade and wanted him to help them open their presents :)



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Over half way there!

As of today, we have 577 slippers!! We are getting so close! Thank you to everyone who has helped, there are so many of you.  We took slippers up to the cancer clinic on Tuesday and Jaylie loved helping some of the kids pick them out. We are taking some to the hospital on Saturday and Jaylie and Breklyn are soo excited!

 I attended Hayden's viewing last night and funeral today and it really puts things into perspective.  My heart breaks for her family, I can't even imagine. Hayden's service was absolutely beautiful. I wish there wasn't so much heart break in this world, it makes me want to do more. I know we appreciated so much when people helped us out, it feels good to be paying it forward a little bit, even though it is a small thing. We thank you all for your help!!

Another Drop off Location- Great Harvest Bread!!

We are good friends with the owners of the two Great Harvest Bread Co. stores here in Austin and they are participating in the slipper drive! Starting tomorrow, anyone who donates slippers at either Great Harvest Bread Co. location will receive a free loaf of Honey Whole Wheat bread!

They are located at:

4815 W. Braker Lane #550 in Austin
Or
3201 Bee Cave Rd. Suite 126 in Austin

Thank you Great Harvest!!

There are also drop offs going on at two of the Texas Land and Cattle locations (you will receive a free appetizer coupon):

Lakeline Store:  14010 N. US Hwy 183 in Austin

or:

Austin 290 Store:  6007 N. IH-35 in Austin

Or you can still take or send them to my husbands Dental Office at:

10123 Lake Creek Pkwy Bldg. 2

Austin, TX 78729

We have had a good response so far, we will count the slippers today sometime and let you know how many we have collected so far. We are so thankful for so many people that are willing to help. 

Thank you!!!

Team Jaylie Slipper Drive

Jaylie's Slipper Story on the News

Kvue came to the house yesterday to do a story on Jaylie's slipper drive! We hope it brings in a lot more slippers!! They interviewed Jaylie and I and took some video of the slippers we have gotten so far. It was fun and Jaylie loved it  :)  Quita was the nicest person too :)

Here is the link to the video:  

http://www.kvue.com/news/Central-Texas-girl-launches-slipper-drive-for-young-cancer-victims-182593201.html

Here is the story:

Central Texas girl launches slipper drive for young cancer victims

by QUITA CULPEPPER / KVUE News and photojournalist KENNETH NULL

kvue.com

Posted on December 7, 2012 at 6:11 PM

Updated yesterday at 6:21 PM

CEDAR PARK, Texas -- A Cedar Park girl who went through cancer treatment is giving back this holiday season.
Watching Jaylie Nielson today, you'd never guess that a year and a half ago, the six-year-old was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
“She's doing great now. All her scans have been good -- no cancer,” her mother Kajsa Nielson said.  “She is an amazing little girl.”
Now Jaylie and her family want to give to others this holiday season.
“When we were going through treatment, so many people and so many different organizations did so much for us,” Kajsa said. “We've been talking with Jaylie for a few months about what we can do for the kids.”
Jaylie came up with the perfect idea, one that will make sure other kids undergoing cancer treatment at Dell Childrens Medical Center will have a cozier Christmas.
“I like to wear slippers in the hospital, and I thought it would be nice to give people with cancer slippers,” Jaylie said.
So far, the little girl has collected about 200 pairs of slippers, and she’s hoping people from across Central Texas will donate many more. Jaylie says she wants to collect at least 1,000 pairs.
It's a small gesture, that's turned into a major labor of love. Jaylie and her mother hope that these gifts will make a child's Christmas in the cancer ward a little bit brighter.
“It is a hard time, so even just the little things, it means a lot,” Kajsa said.
The Nielsons plan to give the slippers to the kids at Dell Childrens by Dec. 18.
Click here for more information.

Precious Hayden

Our little friend Hayden (5) passed away peacefully last night. We are heartbroken, but know she is in a better place, cancer and pain free. Please keep her family in your prayers during this very difficult time. This is what her mother wrote so beautifully:

Last night our precious angel peacefully closed her eyes to this world. We feel joy in our hearts knowing she opened them to a beautiful place with no more pain. Our greatest gift was getting to be Hayden's parents and we will carry her love and spirit with us always until we meet again.
You are the bravest, most special little dinosaur-kitten and I smile tonight knowing that instead of laying in a hospital bed in pain you are flying high on your dragon to the moon. We love you Hayden Jade.

 

If you are able to donate to her family to help cover their expenses, go to  

http://www.gofundme.com/5bqag

 

 This is Jaylie and Hayden a couple months ago. Jaylie really loved her and we will miss her.

Share The Joy

I have a friend who is a photographer and blogger. She brought Jaylie over a big basket of goodies to give out to the cancer children along with the slippers. It was part of the World Market Share the Joy campaign. Sooo cool! Check out her blog at www.kristenduke.com to read all about it :) Here are a couple pictures she took when she brought it to Jaylie. Thank you World Market and Kristen!!

Slippers and True Hope Doll

Jaylie and her sibblings posing with the 180 slippers we have gotten so far!  We have more money to spend on buying some too!  Thank you to everyone who has helped out! We appreciate it sooo much! Keep them coming so we can meet our goal! Ya'll are awesome!

 A new friend sent Jaylie a true hope doll from this little 11 year olds project. Thank you Lynne and Eileen's True Hope Project!

 

 Go and like her facebook page :) Jaylie loves her doll!! She carried it with her everywhere yesterday.