BY DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY
When you were a kid, what was your favorite toy for Christmas? Farm toys top the list for Nolan Toomsen.
While Nolan lives on a farm near Geneva in Franklin County, his mom, Erin (Frank) Toomsen, is from Lake City, my hometown. When I visited with Nolan this fall during his Grandma Rita’s birthday party, I asked if he wants to be a farmer when he grows up. “I’m a farmer right now,” stated Nolan, who celebrated his 5th birthday in early January 2025 with a Pioneer Seed-themed party.
Then I asked Erin about Nolan’s accident on Jan. 28, 2025. Erin was at work (she’s a kindergarten prep teacher in Hampton), and the Toomsen’s older kids were at school. Just a typical Tuesday.
Nolan wasn’t feeling well that morning, however, and needed to go home. His dad Tyler took Nolan and his little brother Brody, 2 (who was also home, since daycare wasn’t open), along to do farm chores. Around this time, a fluke accident left Nolan unresponsive. He was rushed by ambulance to Franklin General Hospital in Hampton. Then Life Flight whisked him to the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City. The medical team ran a CT scan and an MRI on Nolan, who suffered strained neck muscles.
Turning compassion into action
After a short stay, Nolan returned home wearing a cervical collar. “I really liked it when I finally got to take it off,” Nolan told me. “I burned it.”
Despite his quick recovery, Nolan couldn’t quit thinking about something that troubled him about the Children’s Hospital. They only had two toy tractors, several wagons and an odd assortment of farm animals, including a dolphin. (Don’t get Nolan started about how silly this is.)
“Nolan told me he wanted to donate some of his farm toys to the Children’s Hospital for other kids who have to go there,” Erin said. He also wanted her to write a letter for him, which she posted on her Facebook page in mid-May.
The letter read: “Do you want to give me some money to buy more tractors for the Iowa City Hospital because the ones they had weren’t very good. From Nolan.”
Checks and electronic money transfers via Venmo started pouring in from friends, family and strangers. Nolan received more than $3,000 from more than 200 different donors. Combined with significant discounts from the businesses he purchased from, Nolan was able to donate about $5,000 worth of farm toys.
The joy of giving
On delivery day (Aug. 15), the Toomsen family filled the back of their Ford Expedition with toys from John Deere, Case IH, Little Buster Toys and Big Country Toys. When I asked Nolan if it was hard for him to part with any of them, he admitted he really liked a CASE IH harvest equipment set. “But I’d paint it green if it were mine,” he emphasized.
“We know that these carefully selected toys will help brighten the day of many farm-loving kids who are facing battles in the hospital,” said Erin, who added Nolan has always had a kind heart. “We can’t thank everyone enough for helping Nolan give back.”
The toys have been well received by pediatric patients of all ages, reports Sheri Austin, supervisor, concierge services & Rossi Lodging Program, for University of Iowa Health Care.
“Thank you, Nolan, and your family and community, for generously donating high-quality farm toys to the Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Your thoughtful gift has brought joy to children from across Iowa,” she said
As we celebrate the priceless gift of a child during this Christmas season, never forget that the greatest gifts are never wrapped in paper, but in love.
Darcy Dougherty Maulsby lives near her family’s Century Farm northwest of Lake City. Visit her at www.darcymaulsby.com.
