Stephanie Nielson makes the world a better place.

The people who know her and love her, even if they've only just read her blog, NieNie Dialogues (nieniedialogues.blogspot.com), insist it's true. "I want to live in a world where Stephanie Nielson not only lives, but thrives," said publicist Krista Maurer, an avid NieNie Dialogues reader.

Nielson, a 27-year-old married mother of four, is alive, although a terrifying small aircraft crash in Arizona on Aug. 16 almost changed that. Her spirit, at least as seen through the filter of her blog -- where she recently resumed posting after an interruption of more than four months -- is thriving.

The rest of her still needs time to recover. The organizers of a benefit concert featuring local singer-songwriter Mindy Gledhill, to be held Monday night at Provo's Covey Center for the Arts, want to help make that happen.

In the crash and its fiery aftermath, Nielson sustained burns on more than 80 percent of her body. Her husband, Christian Nielson, also in the plane, suffered burns on more than 30 percent of his body. (A third passenger, Christian Nielson's flight instructor, Doug Kinneard, died of his injuries.) The cost of the couple's medical care, according to Maurer, an employee of Deseret Book who has been donating her time and expertise to the Provo event, is already in the millions of dollars.

After months of hospitalization in Arizona, the Nielsons and their children recently moved to Provo, where Nielson grew up, to continue the slow, grueling process of returning to full health. Nielson's sisters, Courtney and Lucy, are taking care of the kids -- 6-year-old Claire, 5-year-old Jane, 3-year-old Oliver and 1-year-old Nicholas -- while "Nie" and "Mr. Nielson" (as blog readers have come to know them) work on getting better.

Gledhill, who's 27 and was in Nielson's graduating class at Provo High School, said that her former classmate is a "vibrant" individual who never hesitates to extend her love to those around her. "I know it's so hard for her right now to not be able to do those simple things like braid her daughter's hair in the morning," said Gledhill.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of "mommy blogs," which broadcast the home-and-family-centered musings of stay-at-home mothers. People who follow NieNie Dialogues say that what sets it apart is its simplicity and sincerity.

Sue Marchant, 36, a fellow blogger who lives in Highland, said that she usually feels intimidated by women like Nielson. "But she's intelligent and sassy and genuine," Marchant said, "and the love she feels for her children and her husband is something so universal -- who can't relate to it and embrace it?"

Marchant is also pitching in: She created a "blogger book" -- a collection of humorous blog posts -- titled "Something Cleverish" to help raise funds for Nielson.

A prior Gledhill benefit concert, held late last year in Arizona, raised almost $10,000. The hope is that the Provo concert will do as well or better. Maurer said that she knows it's like the proverbial drop in the bucket, but "every drop helps to fill that bucket."

And maybe gets Nie (and Mr. Nielson) a little bit closer to resuming the magically ordinary daily life that's made her blog so loved.

If you go

Love for NieNie

What: A benefit concert to raise money for blogger Stephanie Nielson and her husband, Christian, survivors of a private plane crash in Arizona. The total amount of the proceeds from the concert will be donated to the Nielsons.

When: 7 p.m. on Monday

Where: Covey Center for the Arts, 425 W. Center St., Provo

Cost: $15 general admission, $12 students and seniors; $12 general admission for groups of six or more individuals

Silent auction: Various items are being auctioned off to raise additional funds. To view available items -- including jewelry, family-photo packages, baby clothes and Utah Jazz tickets -- and place initial bids, visit formerlyphread.blogspot.com. Final bids will be accepted at the Covey Center on Monday.

Info: www.mindygledhill.com, www.nierecovery.com, www.coveycenter.org

SIDEBARS (3)

In Her Own Words

Because of their ongoing recovery from injuries suffered in a near-fatal plane crash, Stephanie and Christian Nielson were not able to speak to the Daily Herald. Stephanie has, however, begun -- painfully -- to correspond with the online world again at her blog, NieNie Dialogues (online at nieniedialogues.blogspot.com).

One of her first posts is a breakdown of the 15 steps involved in her new "morning list." The first 11 steps are described as follows:

"1. wake up -- 9:00.

"2. take off chin strap.

"3. take out mouth piece (it usually smells awesome).

"4. take feet out of heel protectors, which actually look like moon boots.

"5. take blankets off body ... feels like 500 pounds.

"6. cry/pray.

"7. wake up mr. nielson.

"8. stretch.

"9. pray ... again.

"10. stand up ... blood drain to feet. ouch.

"11. wobble like a 100-year-old man (or C-3PO -- however you look at it) to raised toilet ... fun!"

To discover the final four steps (and see a picture of the raised toilet seat), visit nieniedialogues.blogspot.com.

The Show

Recording artist Mindy Gledhill said that she didn't know Stephanie Nielson very well when they attended Provo High School together. Gledhill went on to Brigham Young University and a career in music.

What had been an acquaintance in passing, however, became a lively friendship after a friend of Nielson's gave her a copy of Gledhill's first CD, "The Sum of All Grace." Nielson loved the music, contacted Gledhill directly to say so, and a friendship was born. "We became very good friends via the Internet," Gledhill said.

Last fall, Nielson was attempting to put together a Gledhill performance in Arizona just weeks before she was in a near-fatal plane crash. "The last thing she said to me before the accident was, 'I'll get you down here, somehow,' " Gledhill said.

After the crash, Gledhill did indeed perform in Arizona -- for free, to help raise money for her friend's extensive medical costs. About 900 people attended, Gledhill said, and people began to ask about a show in Utah.

On Monday, Gledhill and local theatrical improv troupe The Thrillionaires will perform at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo. Not together, Gledhill said, or at least mostly not together -- she will be participating in one of the comedy group's routines. "I've never done (improv) before," she said, "so this will be a new experience for me."

Gledhill will also be bringing a little part of Stephanie Nielson to the stage with her -- two little parts, actually. Claire Nielson, 6, and Jane Nielson, 5, will join Gledhill in singing the Beatles song "Golden Slumbers" for their mother.

The Book

To assist Stephanie and Christian Nielson in their recovery, blogger Sue Marchant, who lives in Highland, is prescribing a hefty dose of humor.

"I wanted to do something to help, but had no idea what I could do," said Marchant. "People were making crafts and selling them, making quilts and artwork and stuff like that, but even my mom admits that I'm kind of a domestic idiot."

Everyone likes to laugh, however, and Marchant likes being funny. So she started up a contest on her blog, Navel Gazing at Its Finest (borrowedlight.blogspot.com), asking fellow bloggers to submit their funniest posts. "I also solicited a few posts from relatively popular bloggers," she said, "hoping their bloggy star power would help us to sell more books and raise more money for the family."

Marchant said that about half of the material -- 43 submissions in all -- is original and half is recycled, but she thinks that most people probably won't ever have read the preexisting posts. The book is available from online self-publishing service Lulu -- www.lulu.com/content/5604525 -- and can be purchased either in paperback, or as a downloadable PDF, for $19.60.

The money goes directly to the Nielsons. As much of it as they can get.

"We've sold a couple hundred copies, all through word of mouth on blogs," Marchant said. "I hope that changes as more people hear about it."

Related

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• Provo woman in 2008 plane crash appears on today’s ‘Oprah’