Young Boy Donates $2,400 From Egg Earnings And Fundraising To Toys For Tots
“Hello, my name is Jayden Gabbard, and I’d want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and the most wonderful Christmas ever!” Because I have a hard time talking about myself, my father is assisting me in typing this. My life and path are about how I can help others, not about me. My parents (Mike and Amanda Gabbard) taught me that people come first, and it is something I try to remember and believe in.
Cystic Fibrosis is a disease that I was diagnosed with when I was born in 2014. My parents were both distraught, but we made it through by the grace of God. I have to do breathing treatments every day and take a lot of medicines, but that’s OK. We had the strength, according to my father, thanks to Ms. Antoinette from Willis-Knighton South in Louisiana. She informed my father that as long as he and my mother followed the guidelines she gave them, everything would be OK.
We relocated to Idaho for a variety of reasons, one of which is that the air is considerably dryer, which makes it easier for me to breathe. My parents work hard every day to ensure that my brothers and I have all we require. In 2017, I had a terrible episode and had to go to the ICU. I was overjoyed that St. Luke’s Hospital in Boise is fantastic and took such good care of me. Only a few of occasions did I get shouted at for getting out of bed to check what the other kids were up to.
I like a variety of activities, but fishing is by far my favorite. We have fresh eggs every day thanks to my father’s purchase of hens a few years ago. We couldn’t eat them all, so Daddy said it was fine if I sold some, which I did for $3.00 a dozen. I wanted to help when I heard Mommy and Daddy talking about the Marine Corps here in Idaho and how Daddy volunteered to serve. I informed Daddy I wanted to donate my money to Toys for Tots in order to assist him with his objective.
Dr. Kay’s DVM in Nampa (Monique is amazing) was our largest booster when we started selling eggs to folks along his work route. I wanted to attempt to reach out to more individuals, so my father phoned AM 670 KBOI Boise’s Nate Shelman, and Mr. Nate agreed to match whatever I sold! I had a lot of supporters, and everyone was pleased with what we accomplished.
A fox broke into our henhouse and murdered a number of my layers. That put us a long way behind my target. Daddy taught me that awful things happen to good people, and that we must keep moving forward. Many people have reached out to us and offered to help us re-establish the flock. Mr. Demetrius Ceja and Charity Jackson were friends of my father’s and were extremely generous in helping us get back on our feet. I worked nonstop throughout the summer, and we began to sell more and more eggs. I was able to purchase signage, which assisted us in selling eggs at our home in Emmett, Idaho.
Daddy and I kept selling eggs and raised over $900 for the Toys for Tots event, and with Mr. Shelman’s aid, we raised over $2400 this year. I was able to speak with Sgt. G. from our region, and I was chosen as a Junior Ambassador for Toys for Tots for the future year. I am glad for the chance to not only aid people who are in need, but also to demonstrate to others who are facing personal challenges that we can overcome them. Just think about it!
