Photo: Wylie and Katie Reed
Aidan Reed is five years old. More than anything, he loves monsters. Dressing up as monsters, playing with monster toys and especially drawing monsters.
Then in September a real-life monster reared its ugly head and Aidan was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Needless to say, the family was devastated. Aidan’s mother, Katie Reed, is a full-time mom, and his father, Wylie Reed, was thinking he’d need to take a second job to help pay for his son’s treatment.
But Aidan’s aunt, Mandi Ostein, had an idea. She knew Aidan loved to draw, and he’d had plenty of time to do so during his time at the hospital. She set up an Etsy store and started selling prints of Aidan’s work to help offset the costs of her nephew’s treatment.
In a few weeks, Ostein and the Reeds sold over 2,500 prints and raised $30,000 for Aidan’s treatment. From their blog:
“Your words and support for Aidan have helped us in ways unimaginable. Aidan has been drawing more than ever, and we do our best to share all of your words with him. Your support has been keeping Aidan’s and our family’s spirits up.”
Sometimes the internet can be a pretty awesome place, huh?
To buy one of Aidan’s monster prints, check out his Etsy Store. For more information, check out the Aid for Aidan Blog or the Aid for Aidan Facebook page.
Image: Wylie and Katie Reed
