Fundraiser for Gillian Redman
Gillian Redman and Kayla Rigby.
A Food Truck Fundraiser was held in Grace on July 1 to raise medical funds for Gillian Redman. Participants included London Drug, Baked Fresh Sourdough, 3C Grill, Wafflicious Idaho, Ranch Queen, Rigby Soft Serve, the Corndog Company, and Berries and Cream. They teamed up with Kayla Rigby to help Gillian Redman with medical expenses. The event occurred last Tuesday night in Grace, and was packed with people who came out to contribute to the cause.
In addition to the funds raised on the day of the event, London Drug and Baked Fresh Sourdough donated proceeds of baked good sales the week of the 30th.
Gillian Redman is 18 years old and has been battling pediatric pancreatitis. In March, she flew to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio for a TPIAT (Total Pancreatectomy with Islet Autotransplantation) surgery. She’s had her pancreas, spleen, gallbladder, appendix, and part of her bowel removed. In a single year, she had 29 ER visits, 11 hospital stays, 6 procedures, and 2 major surgeries in Utah and Ohio. Because of the TPIAT surgery, she now has diabetes. And Gillian and her mom, Michele, have to fly back to Ohio regularly for follow-up care. Gillian has deep roots in Grace. She’s related to the Hill, Nielsen, Gilbert, Hulse, and Smith families.
An additional fundraiser was organized by Kayla Rigby, Gillian’s second cousin, as her senior project for Grace High.
We spoke to Kayla a bit about her project. “To graduate from Grace High School, you have to complete a senior project,” Rigby said. “It has to be 40 hours and fit the requirements. For mine, I chose to do a service project. I have been raising money for Gillian through the Food Truck Round up, the square raffle, and bake sales.”
Kayla is related to Gillian, but it turns out that the two had never met until Kayla’s project started. “We are second cousins, but we had never met until my fundraiser. I learned of Gillian’s story through a mutual relative. I have struggled with my health for years pretty badly so I reached out to her because of my experience and hearing her story.”
Gillian’s story is one that many people can relate to, in the sense that almost everyone has had, or been closely related to someone who has had, medical issues that can seem like a very tall mountain to climb. Gillian’s experience is probably more difficult than many, however, given everything that goes along with organ transplantation and recovery, especially at such a young age.
Given the family’s deep roots in the area, people have been quick to help. As part of her senior project, Kayla put together a Square Raffle to help raise $5000 for Gillian. She put together a board with 100 $50 squares that can be purchased for a chance to win $1000 in prize money, donated by Gilbert Farms and Rigby Plumbing and Heating. The squares have started to fill up quickly, but there are still a number left. You can stop by the Rigby Heating and Plumbing store to reserve a square, or Venmo @Cassie-Rigby $50 for an open space. The drawing is planned for July 14, unless it fills up earlier.
Updates from the fundraiser can be found on Kayla’s Facebook page and the Enterprise Facebook page.
Asked what she would like people to know about the fundraiser, Kayla said, “I would like everyone to know that all the support goes straight to the sweetest family who has a lot of ties to the community here. It not only helps her, but it reminds me how good our community is. It helps me feel supported when we support her.”
In terms of her cousin, Kayla said that “I learned that even when life was hard, she kept a smile on her face. Speaking from experience, that is the hardest thing in the world to do and she has been through so much. I look up to her in every way because of the grace she carries herself with.”
Grace, and the Caribou County area, are noted for their generous spirit and strong sense of community. When things get tough, people tend to stick together to do whatever they can.
As Kayla said, “Any support truly means the world to everyone involved. Family, friends, and community feels the impact you can make through spreading the word, donating, or sharing words of encouragement”.
If you’d like to help beyond the raffle, you can donate directly to COTA (Children’s Organ Transplant Association) for Gillian’s TPIAT (it’s tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law!). Every bit of help makes a big difference.
