Paislee Howard has sold fifty dozen cookies to the community, going through 20 pounds of chocolate and 75 pounds of flour, to raise money for her upcoming open-heart surgery at the end of May.
When asked how it feels to have so many people wanting to buy her cookies, she said, “They just love it.”
Since she was in the womb, Paislee’s family has been aware of her heart defect diagnosis, known as ventricular septum defect and articular septal defect, causing holes in her heart.
Paislee’s mother, Alyssa Howard says, “She has too much blood flow that goes to different chambers. All of her blood’s kind of going everywhere and now her heart is enlarged. So now they have to go in and do surgery.”
Her stay in the hospital will extend to five days, and her recovery may take up to eight weeks.
Despite going through health complications at such a young age, Paislee has remained positive and energetic, saying her parents, brother, kitten, and dog, help her to stay brave.
Mom says, “I’m always super proud of her. She’s my biggest inspiration. I want to be her when I grow up. She’s been through so much in the last six years and she still puts a smile and wants to put a smile on everybody’s faces.”
In addition to the needed funding, the Howard Family is asking for prayers for Paislee.