Gabe and Avery

Sometimes life’s not fair.  One minute you can be a happy father, minding your own business, driving on a quiet road in the middle of Colorado with your beautiful two year old daughter and your younger sister – and the next minute you can be suffering from critical injuries while your daughter’s stopped breathing because a drunk driver swerved into your lane. Such is the tragic story of Gabe Nielsen.

On June 25th, a drunk driver with multiple offenses, Lisa Norton, got into a minor accident while driving along Nelson Road in Longmont, Colorado.  Since her license had already been revoked due to a previous arrest for drunk driving and evading arrest, Lisa decided this wasn’t the best time to stick around to deal with the police.  She sped off, racing down Nelson Road where she apparently swerved into oncoming traffic and smashed head first into Gabe Nielsen’s Nissan.  As is often the case in drunk driving accidents, she walked away in good enough condition to try running, then swimming through a reservoir in an attempt to evade the police.  She was eventually caught by a few fisherman who dragged her into the boat and delivered her back to shore where the police were waiting.

R. Eastman, Owner of Powell's Sweet Shoppe and local hero

Gabe Nielsen wasn’t able to walk away from the accident.  Instead, he died there, holding the hand of a stranger as his life slipped away.  And behind him, his daughter was fighting for her life.  A local hero and business owner, Robert Eastman, struggled to help Gabe’s daughter, but she was very, very badly hurt.  She was rushed to the hospital, where she was miraculously saved, although her struggles were far from over.

Today, Avery Nielsen is still in the hospital.  Doctors replaced a large portion of the left side of her skull, and she is confined to a wheelchair, but she is getting better.  She has trouble moving the right side of her body, and she hasn’t started speaking yet, but she is able to do a few bits of sign language that her mom and dad had taught her before the accident.  She is alive today because of the heroic actions of Robert Eastman and the brilliant doctors at the Children’s Hospital.  None of this, however, can bring her father back to her side.  This accident has taken him away from her forever, and nothing can ever heal that.

Avery Nielsen

That’s where we step in.  In times of trouble, when life has you pinned to the ground and there doesn’t seem to be anyway to get back up again, that’s when a helping hand can mean the most.  As Avery struggles to get back on her feet (literally) we need to make sure her family isn’t concerned about anything other then helping her in every way they can.  This is where just a little help from a lot of people can make all the difference in the world.

I contacted Avery’s mother to ask her permission to begin contacting some of the companies that I work with to ask for some help.  My goal was to get a few nice things for Avery, maybe a basket of good food, some toys, and anything else that people would be willing to give, so that when she comes home from the hospital there would be a fun room waiting for her to heal in. This started simply enough, but it has turned into something much better then I could have hoped for.

When Avery comes home she is going to find all of the following things waiting for her: A new flat screen TV for her room, a Bluray Player, a laptop computer, a year subscription to Netflix, a year’s worth of free broadband, a $200 gift certificate to Borders, and a large sum (getting larger by the minute) of cash donated to a fund set up in her dad’s name.

Avery today, smiling through the pain

I was shocked at how quickly people were willing to donate, until I looked at that picture of little Avery again.  You see, while there are a lot of needy people in this world, there are certainly none that are as heartbreaking as that of a child. Every instinct in our bodies drives us to help children who are suffering, and that is why I implore each and every one of you to take a stand and help right now.

Talkingship has proudly been a part of a charity event called Extra-Life for a couple years now, and this story about Avery Nielsen has helped to strengthen my resolve to make this year’s event as massive as possible.  All of the proceeds from Extra-Life go to help kids at the Children’s Hospital, kids like Avery Nielsen who is fighting for her life without her father there to help her through it.  If you can, I ask that you sign up for Extra-Life this year, and ask your friends and family to donate to your page.  However, if taking part in a 24 hour gaming marathon isn’t your cup of tea, then consider giving a donation of any amount to someone that is participating, or perhaps directly to Avery Nielsen’s family.  Every little bit helps, and when you choose to help out, you are choosing to make this world a better place.

Get more information on Extra Life at www.extra-life.org

Donate directly to the Nielsen family by sending a check to the following: Gabriel Nielsen Family Fund care of
First National Bank, 1155 Canyon Blvd., Boulder, CO 80302