Wednesday Warrior: Kay Garrison

Meet Kay Garrison, a freshman at East High.

For the last few years, Kay has been making and selling bracelets for a cause that is near to her heart.

At 4 years old, Kay was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. This means that Kay has spent a lot of time going to appointments and getting treatment at the University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City.

When Kay was four years old she met a girl named Ashlyn at the U of I Children’s Hospital; Ashlyn was being treated for cancer. “The one thing Ashlyn had never done because of her cancer diagnosis was play outside on a playground,” Kay says. “The hospital had an outdoor playground, but what they needed was an indoor playground for children with immune compromisations like cancer.” So, Kay started making bracelets. Not only because the activity is good for the joints in her fingers, but also as a way to raise money for an indoor playground at the University of Iowa Children’s hospital.

With the help of the University of Iowa, Kay is able to do a lot more than she used to. And because of a friendship she’ll never forget, she wants to do a little more for those like Ashlyn.

The hospital has a plan to build an indoor playground in 2019.

If you see Kay and you have $1.00, you can buy a bracelet from her to go to this cause.