JEANS MONTH - HUGE SUCCESS!!!!!

We would like to share that our Jeans Month was a HUGE success!!! Trystan and Alyssa were able to raise $11,300 for St. Louis Children's Hospital 9th Floor Hematology/Oncology Unit.

Businesses had "clever" ways to participate in Jeans Month. We would like to share those with you:

-The Bond County Sheriff's Department allowed their deputies to pay to grow facial hair and their dispatchers to wear jeans.
-St. Mary's School, in Edwardsville, extended not only to their staff but to their students, who wear uniforms every day, to pay to wear their jeans on Fridays during the month of February!
-West Springs Church in Missouri dedicated a Jeans Sunday and all the members of the church paid $1 to wear their jeans to church that Sunday.
-Watson's Drug Store made buttons that said, "Ask Me Why I'm Wearing Jeans"
-McCracken, Dawdy, Hall Family Practice made stickers to explain why they were wearing jeans.
-Pickerill's Pick'n "N" Grinn'n hosted a fundraiser at their restaurant for an entire Saturday.

Those businesses that allowed their employees to pay to wear their jeans, varied in the way they participated. Some allowed their employees to wear jeans for the entire month! While others did once a week, every Friday, twice a week for the month, etc. Any way you look at it, the businesses of our community and surrounding communities came together to help "give back"!

We also had businesses and factories that are already allowed to wear jeans to work take up a collection just to help "give back."

We had more than three dozen businesses either participate or collecto donations:

The Hardas Team-Highland, IL
Bridget Tinsley Photography-Highland, IL
Southwestern Electric-Greenville, IL
DeCurtis Corporation-Orlando, FL
FCC Preschool-Greenville, IL
First National Bank-Greenville, IL
Washington University Department of Surgery-St. Louis, MO
Enertech-Greenville, IL
Greenville Elementary School-Greenville, IL
Midland State Bank-Greenville, IL
Tri-Ford-Highland, IL
Ford Square-Mt. Vernon, IL
Greenville Jr. High 6th Graders-Greenville, IL
Glow Salon & Med Spa-MO
West Springs Church-MO
Bradford National Bank-Greenville, IL
DeMoulin's-Greenville, IL
St. Mary's School-Edwardsville, IL
VFW Ladies Auxiliary-Highland, IL
Schnuck's-Fairview Heights, IL
Bond County Health Department-Greenville, IL
Bass Mollett-Greenville, IL
TRICOR Braun-MO
Bond County Courthouse-Greenville, IL
Montgomery County Nursing & Rehab-Hillsboro, IL
McCracken, Dawdy, Hall Family Practice-Greenville, IL
SIUE Human Resources-Edwardsville, IL
United Stationers-Greenville, IL
Main Street Galaxy Restaurant-Alhambra, IL
Terra Properties-Highland, IL
Bond County Sheriff's Department-Greenville, IL
IGA-Staunton, IL
Pickerill's Pick'n "N" Grinn'n-Staunton, IL
Ethal's-Highland, IL
Mulberry Grove Elementary School-Mulberry Grove, IL
Watson's Drug Store-Greenville, IL
Pocahontas & Sorento Elementary Schools-Pocahontas & Sorento, IL
Salon de Guerra-Highland, IL
Law Offices of Michael Diaz-Greenville, IL
Klaus Services-Highland, IL

Our family was overwhelmed with the response to Jeans Month. In the beginning we were hoping to raise $500-$1,000. That goal was met before February 1st. Our girls then set a goal of $5,000 and that was surpassed! Lastly, they set a goal of $10,000 which was met at the very end of March. But the calls and checks kept coming through the second week of March. Our family would like to thank the businesses who participated and gave donations! We would also like to thank the many inidividual donations we received from those who just wanted to give.

My husband and I took the girls down to St. Louis Children's Hospital March 21, 2010 to present the donations to the hospital. Upon arrival the hospital had printed a "HUGE" check to present. The girls presented the check to Dr. Wilson, Dr. Ziga, and Nurse Practitioner Karen from the 9th Floor.

Thank you all for everything,

The Watson Family :)

Monday, September 14, 2009

September 14, 2009


This morning we dropped Alyssa off at school and headed to Children's Hospital. We arrived at the clinic at 9:30 a.m. The nurse accessed Trystan's port and drew labs to make sure that her platelets were high enough for chemo. After getting the go ahead we were admitted to the floor. While waiting for her urine to be diluted enough to receive chemo Trystan started coughing and got sick. We were so surprised since she hadn't even had any chemo yet. After her stomach calmed down she wanted to take a walk down to the garden. She got to make some wishes in the ponds. When she was finished in the garden we went down to the gift shop. We wanted to get her a balloon, but when we got down there she decided she didn't want one right now. A man inside the gift shop saw her and gave her a $20 gift card to the gift shop! He told us that if she didn't want to spend it that she could share it with someone else. Nine years ago his son had a brain injury and had to spend a long time in Children's. They were here for a check-up. I cried when he left. I couldn't believe a man whom we have never met or seen before gave Trystan a card to buy what she wanted from the Gift Shop. God does amazing things and has us to cross paths with strangers that will touch our hearts!

We came back up from the gift shop and Trystan was finally ready for chemo. But first we had to take a trip back down to the Heart Station to be sure that all of the chemo hasn't damaged her heart. This is a continuous check they do periodically. She finished down there and we came back up to say good-bye to Daddy and to start the chemo. They premedicated her and it put her to sleep. She slept through the entire treatment. Once she woke up, she's been very quite. I'm not sure she's feeling very well. She didn't get sick during the treatment and it's been a couple of hours and she still hasn't get sick. Hopefully, she will continue to not get sick. I am hoping that tomorrow she will feel well enough to eat.

The picture is of Trystan and her Barbie she got from the prize closet in the clinic.

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