Pebble Creek Golf Course hosted a benefit Thursday for the family of seven-year-old Jayci Grace Wilson, who died May 6 of complications due to congenital muscular dystrophy with merosin deficiency.

 

Kevin and Annie Wilson, Jayci’s parents, along with Ethan and Kaden (Jayci’s siblings) experienced the unexpected and devastating loss of their beautiful daughter and sister two days before Mother’s Day. Through the years of Jayci’s life being spent in a wheelchair, the Wilsons have persevered the emotional, physical and financial difficulties of caring for a CMD child.

 

Thursday’s event featured a pulled pork dinner and a silent auction. Hundreds of family, friends and acquaintances packed the Pebble Creek Golf Course building to express their love, concern and condolences to the Wilsons while contributing financially to their cause.

 

Some of the items up for auction Thursday were music lessons from the Rogers School of Music, Twins and Wild tickets, camping equipment from FireBuggz, a Stan Musial autographed photo, two hand-made quilts, Lotto cards, golf passes, a beef jerky basket from McDonald’s Meats, a 4th of July picnic basket with fireworks, a Jenni Finch autographed poster and three 4th of July coolers packed with picnicking items.

 

There also was a $10 raffle to win an AR-15 gun from DPMS.

 

At another table, decorated bandanas were being sold for $10 as well as syrup and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (Jayci’s favorite).

 

Congenital muscular dystrophy with merosin deficiency is the most common form of congenital muscular dystrophy accounting for approximately half all congenital muscular dystrophies.  It is estimated that 1/76,000 individuals is affected with congenital muscular dystrophy with merosin deficiency world wide.

 

A celebration of Jayci’s life was held May 1 at Becker Baptist Church just days after Jayci took her first steps into the arms of Jesus. Her dad, Kevin and her “papas”, Tim and Gary, led her service. Burial was at the Becker Cemetery.

 

 Jayci was born Nov. 24, 2008, in Monticello. She was raised in Becker and was known to be smiling constantly and loving life. Though she had been diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy, that diagnosis is not considered a sentence to a life less lived or less enjoyed.

 

For all that knew Jayci, it never came close to that.

 

Jayci could light up a room with her sweet and sassy personality. She was a talker, loved to laugh and tease and be with her family and friends. 

 

Some of Jayci’s favorite things were rides on the golf cart and papa’s motorcycle, swimming, singing “Everything is Awesome,” going on trips, and sleepovers with her cousins. 

 

Jayci pushed the limits with her wheel chair, and recently asked her dad to cover the lights of the controller and turn off the sound it made so she could play night games with the rest of the kids. Her family also treated her to a special Halloween gift when they had her wheelchair decked out to look like a princesses carriage (thanks to Jayci’s uncle Matt) — with the story being picked up in 2013 by many local news outlets including Kare11 News.

 

With the video splashed all over the TV and the internet, her mom posted the video on YouTube and gave her daughter a written tribute.

 

“It's all about you tonight honey,” the tribute said. “You are such a blessing to our family, friends and now all over Minnesota! You are funny, witty, sassy, beautiful! You show compassion to all and you are not afraid to speak up for what is right! You have a heart for all people and a desire to make people smile. This is our girl. Jayci Grace Wilson.”

 

Donations will continue to be collected via a GoFundMe page the family set up recently. For those interested, go to gofundme.com/23adq2mk.