MACON, Ga. — On Thursday, Dairy Queen locations across Central Georgia came together to raise money for the Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Miracle Network for its Miracle Treat Day.
On Miracle Treat Day, if a customer buys a blizzard, $1 goes directly to the children’s hospital and all donations from Central Georgia stay here locally.
For Marella Allen, employee at Dairy Queen on Log Cabin Drive, Miracle Treat Day is close to home.
Allen’s son, Brayden, was born premature and last week, friends and family gathered around to sing and celebrate a major milestone for him — his first birthday.
Brayden's birthday is the same day as Miracle Treat Day and the ice cream chain's event benefits the same hospital that treated him.
“The children's hospital is throwing my baby Brayden a birthday party," Marella said.
Marella says her son could have fit in her hand.
"I was scared when he was born he was one pound thirteen ounces," Marella said.
Bbrayden spent his first 15 weeks of life at the children's hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
"Some days he was good some days he was bad and he's probably have to have blood transfusions but the next day he's be back to normal," Marella said. " But you just worry you go in and you see them in that incubator and they’re just so tiny and it was just a lot."
Marella started working at Dairy Queen at 16-years-old serving up Blizzards where she fought to raise money for the Children's hospital.
Marella says, at first, working helped keep her mind off things, now she says every balloon and every Miracle Treat Day has special meaning.
"I'm sure back in the day they didn't have that equipment but the equipment they have now it helps children born real early and donating money to the children's hospital it's a good thing and it's a good cause they're doing for them," Marella said.