The love of two parents in East Coulee is giving their daughter the ultimate gift; happiness.
Pat and George Nelson are hosting their fifth annual garage sale on Saturday, May 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at their house in East Coulee, 815 1st Avenue West, to help their daughter Sandra in her long fight with cancer.
In previous years, the proceeds have gone towards cancer research or treatment.
This year the couple wanted to do something different. Rather than donating the money to cancer treatment, an incredibly noble act, they decided to give their daughter the chance to see the world.
“I’ve always felt the money should go to cancer treatment, the bigger picture,” said Pat. “But, our daughter’s time is getting really short. Her bucket list entails a lot of seeing the Earth before she leaves, so we’re taking the money and giving it to her, so she can pick where she wants to go and go.”
Pat (left) and George Nelson, holding a picture of their daughter Sandra, granddaughter, and great granddaughter, are hoping to give the gift of a lifetime. The couple are holding their annual garage sale this weekend, with all proceeds going to Sandra, who has been struggling with cancer, so that she may see the world.
The Nelson garage sale operates a little differently than most. There are no price tags and people are free to take whatever item they want. The two simply put out a donation jar for people to donate what they can.
“Last year, we earned enough money to buy a couple of treatment chairs,” said Pat.
With less than a week to go, the Nelson’s have mountains of items for their garage sale. The deck, a shed, and a garage are absolutely stuffed.
“This year, our granddaughter was given some storage units that were just full of stuff. She’s an ecological engineer and her boss had some abandoned storage units, so he gave them to her. We hauled all that stuff down here from Wainwright. We also save all year for the sale,” said Pat.
Friends and neighbours have pitched in too, including Bonny St. Jean, a cancer survivor, and Kelly Krueger, who helped make a ribald, yet bluntly honest, t-shirt last year. The shirt simply depicts a hand “flipping the bird,” with a pink ribbon tied around the fingers.
“Everyone joined in and helped me put on a huge sale. All the donations took up my garage, the Coyote Club, the Green Room in the (East Coulee School) Museum, and the Retro Reusables parking lot,” said Nelson.
Later this month, they plan to visit Sandra in Colorado and hand deliver the proceeds from the sale.
“She’s raised five kids, put them through university, and they’re all successful. She’s done such a great job, she deserves to see some of the things she wants to see,” said Pat.
