In the season of giving, there are many ways and opportunities to help, and certainly, a good many causes to donate to. My prayer is that hopefully, you will donate to something because it is important to remember that there is always someone worse off than us.
I cannot and will not tell you who to donate to but there are a couple of things near to my heart, and yes, I will share why.
The Columbia Fire Department needs new extrication tools, in fact, I think every fire department should have a good set of those tools. Extrication tools could literally make the difference in a life or death situation. We need our fire departments, both the city and county departments. We should be making sure they have what they need so they can best help us in our time of need.
Now to the other one, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office toy drive for children in the hospital. This one hits right on my heart. Most of you, who have read my columns the last two-and-a-half years know about my son Joshua who died when he was just three months old. He was born with a rare-genetic amino acid metabolism disorder known as Tyrosinemia. Unfortunately, he had the most severe form (Type 1) and at least 29 years ago, was in most cases fatal in an infant.
I was living in Maryland at the time when Joshua was born and later passed. Once his pediatrician realized there was a very serious issue at six weeks, something I had already been trying to tell him, we had to go see Dr. Gene Rosenbaum who was Chief of Genetics at Children’s Hospital at Washington, D.C.
He was in the hospital at Christmas. Christmas morning I spent at home with my two children and then I went to the hospital. I’ll never forget walking into Joshua’s and he was lying there, but there were also some socks, a blanket, a Mr. Velveteen Rabbit and a big teddy bear. I was looking at the stuff when the nurse came into the room to give me an update. She said Santa Claus had come. A company had donated thousands of dollars to make sure every child in the hospital had something for Christmas. That meant so much to me because it meant he got to experience Santa and have some gifts.
Fast forward to Jan. 5, 1993, when I had to say goodbye and let go of him. Walking out of that hospital without him was very hard. Making that long journey home without him, I sat in the backseat and cried into the belly of that teddy bear. Night after night, day after day, that teddy bear was all I could hold onto and cry into. I told my other children they could not have that bear, it was mine. I gave them the other items Joshua received, but the teddy bear was mine. It has become known as Joshua Bear.
Six months later, I noticed the bear had disappeared and before I could do or say anything about it, I found out my oldest son, Tj, who was five at the time, had started to tell people that his brother may have died, but he left him his bear. Needless to say, I didn’t take the bear back.
For years Tj would take the bear with him whenever he had a sleepover and he had to sleep with it every night.
Even as an adult for the longest time, Tj kept it in a place of prominence. Joshua Bear was very important. When he moved to a new place, I think he had packed it and never took it out. When I found out about it, I immediately reclaimed that bear and now it has a place of prominence at my house.
That bear, that simple teddy bear has meant so much to me. It is worn and had to be sewn on a few times, but it is one of the most important possessions I have. There are still days when I will grab that bear and hold onto it and yes, even cry into it. It allows me to have a “physical” connection with Joshua. I feel like when I’m holding the bear, I’m holding my son.
Someone probably just grabbed it at a store and after purchasing it, put it in a box to be delivered thinking it would make a child happy at Christmas.
Joshua Bear
Instead of someone donating a simple teddy bear for children in the hospital at Christmas, they provided something special for a family who had to leave their child there, but was able to still bring something special home.
So please help the Marion County Sheriff’s Office with their toy drive. I promise you that simple toy you donate just may have a life-long effect. -
Susan Amundson is news/features editor of The Columbian-Progress. She may be reached at (601) 736-2611 or
samundson@columbianprogress.com.
