Billionaire Donation, Jennifer Vasilakos Saved by TY Beanie Babies
Jennifer Vasilakos will no longer need dialysis after a complete stranger donated $20,000 to her cause following a chance encounter in which the donor asked for driving directions.
Ty Warner pulled into a Santa Barbara parking lot in California in need of directions. At the time a fair was going on and Warner so happened to meet Jennifer Vasilakos, the host of the fair who at the time was attempting to raise money for a medical condition from which she suffered. Vasilakos had discovered a year before that her kidneys had failed and while doctors gave no cause, they informed Vasilakos that she would be depended on dialysis unless she could have certain stem cell procedure.
Vasilakos was not qualified for other treatment options due to her medical history. She handed a flyer to Warner as he pulled down his window and asked for directions.
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"He'd rolled up in his nondescript car, while I was fundraising at the French Festival. He was lost and needed directions. I often get asked by random strangers for directions. Not one to miss an opportunity, I handed him my flyer and he made a fifty dollar donation," Vasilakos wrote on her blog.
What she didn't know at the time is that the generous stranger was actually a billionaire mogul and owner of Ty, Inc. the infamous Beanie Babies manufacturer that became popular in the 1990's.
"Ty quickly educated himself on Jennifer's condition and the needed treatment only to find out that it was not available in the United States," the YouCaring site, which Vasilakos was using to raise money, revealed on its blog. "Jennifer would need to pay for travel costs, lodging, medical and food costs all on her own."
Warner apparently realized that his $50 donation would not be enough and decided to offer Vasilakos a complete happy ending.
"To help, Ty sent Jennifer a check for $20,000," the site reported. "This money will completely cover all of Jennifer's expenses and help save her life."
