JCOM 2300 Thoughts...NieNie Dialogues

I’ve always been amused by blogging. From different layouts to clever storytelling or pictures, everyone seems to have their own story to tell. Imagine my surprise when I came upon one of my favorite blogs still to this day. The NieNie Dialogues is published by blogger, Stephanie Nielson and is a diary of her life as a wife, mother and everything else. It started in 2005 for close friends and family but overtime seemed to attract viewers from around the world. The way she talks about her marriage to ‘Mr. Nielson’ and her adventures with her four children all under the age of 6, (Claire, Jane, Oliver and Nicholas), is almost captivating. As the New York Times put it, ‘to her admirers, she was Supermom.’

Even though Stephanie would never tell of the bad, her life was turned upside down on August 16 of last year. After buying her husband flying lessons two years before, the couple was returning home from a weekend trip at a family ranch in New Mexico accompanied by Mr. Nielson’s flight instructor, Mr. Kinneard. It’s uncertain who was behind the controls on that flight, but the plane crashed. Mr. Kinneard died shortly afterward but Stephanie and her husband were able to get save their lives by escaping from the burning wreckage. Once they reached the hospital, Christian and Stephanie sustained severe burns, Stephanie over more than 80 percent of her body.

Almost, immediately family members and the community (try 30,000 readers) jumped in to help with the Nie Nie donations. The family’s story, covered in the New York Times, said visitors to the Nie Nie Dialogues blog had increased from 1,000 to well over 20,000 a day. The Today Show interviewed Stephanie’s sister, who took all four of her kids while she was recovering.
During reconstructive surgery on Stephanie’s badly damaged face, doctors retrieved enough tissue from parts of her body to craft a new nose and ears. If you visit her blog today, pictures show how she is healing along with her new outlook on life and continuing love for her kids and husband.

The point of this post is to talk about the power of social media. Who knew, that because of one blog and one individual’s story, so much help could come in such a desperate time of need. Medical bills that have reached in the millions will be paid for through donations and online auctions. Bloggers from around the world including countries like Australia, Israel, Spain and Germany have helped raise more than $100,000 in donations. It goes to show that you never know the affect social media can have until you see it in real life events.