HospiceCare teddy bear donation, a success

Our family decided to make a donation to the HospiceCare center this Thanksgiving and we asked our family and friends for help.  

Our family, plus Nana Buffy, cousin John and bff Julia at HospiceCare with all of the bears.

Here is the email we sent out~

As many of you know, my dear father-in-law, Jim Stevens, passed away last December 27th.  He died after fighting tongue cancer so valiantly for 18 months.  Jim went through many struggles and when we found out that the cancer was winning the battle, we reached out to HospiceCare in Madison, WI, where Jim and his wife, Buffy lived.  HospiceCare could not have been more kind and caring.  Last year, on Christmas Eve, we received a call from family telling us that it was time for Jim to go into HospiceCare.   Chris and I tried to keep our heads up and thanks to a special Santa visit, we made it through the evening and put the kids to bed.  We were up most of the night packing up for a trip we wished we would not have to make.  In the morning, the kids barely had breakfast and we had to whisk off to Madison.  As you may remember, it was a blizzard out and the roads were miserable.  It was probably the longest 4 hours we can remember.  Constant phone calls from family telling us to get there fast and looking at our kids eyes, constantly filled with tears.

Well, we made it to the HospiceCare center in Madison and were lucky enough to spend Jim's last few days by his side.  The staff was there to laugh with us, cry with us and constantly keep us informed.  Oddly, we felt very at home and knew Jim was comfortable and very well cared for.  One thing my kids noticed was all the stuffed bears that adorned the HospiceCare center.  It brought a little cheer and sweetness to an area that could have been very daunting and frightening.  Before Jim passed away, one of the nurses took my sister-in-law, Sue, and I walking around the center.  She told us to pick out bears for each one of our children.  As we looked there seemed to be ones that just spoke to us and seemed perfect for each individual child. We took them back in to Jim's room. The nurse had Jim kiss each bear and then handed them back to us.  A very short time later, Jim passed away.  The children were all at a friend's home.  It was so hard to tell the kids that their grandpa had died, but it was somewhat eased by being able to give them each a bear.  We had something tangible to give them that was truly special and it was from their Grandpa. It helped so much in the days ahead for each of them to have that bear to hang on to.  They have slept with them every night since.

Obviously we believe in the power of these bears and the Dori Bear project at HospiceCare in Madison, WI. 

The Dori Bear namesake is given to all teddy bears donated to HospiceCare in honor of HospiceCare patient Doris Klubertanz, who died June 1, 1994. While alive, Doris Klubertanz was surrounded by teddy bears. She believed in their power to bring warmth, love and a smile. Because she found them to be such a comfort, she left a gift to HospiceCare to establish the Dori Bear project.

Chris and I, along with our children would like to make a donation of bears to the Dori Bear project this year.  We travel to Madison every Thanksgiving and we thought this year we would spend part of Thanksgiving volunteering at HospiceCare.  One way was to bring them bears to help many other families who are dealing with the same difficult time we went through last year.  So, we are asking you for help to increase our efforts.  

And here's how it went~

We again braved the crazy weather down to Madison last Wednesday.  We had all of the bears packed gently in our car and took them over to their new (temporary) home at HospiceCare Center. Chris' mom, Buffy and his nephew, John, as well as our family friend, Julia, helped us to share the joy with the staff.  The kids felt so good to give back a little something to the community that helped their grandpa in his last days.  It was definitely a bit difficult to go back there and the tears came easily for us.  My little guy, Cam, wanted to go and walk down the hall to Grandpa's old room, #42.  We were amazed that he remembered the room number as well as the painting outside the door of his room.  We talked about how we sat for a bit in the family room one day and laughed at silly stories we were sharing with everyone.  It was one of those moments we needed to lighten such a heavy load we were all carrying.  During our visit this year as we walked the halls, the kids talked with some of the patients and it was evident that they made their day.  The smiles on the face of people in pain, was so amazing and we knew we did a good thing by not just sharing our donation, but sharing ourselves.  As we walked by the family room, we noticed it was empty but had a sign on the door.  It read, " reserved for the family of room #42".  We felt that was a sign that Jim was telling us he was with us :) 

As we come up on the one year marker of Jim's death, we seem to have an array of emotions.  To name a few ~ blessed, grateful, lucky, thankful and sad.  

We are very blessed to be able to help others that helped us. 

We are grateful for our strength and faith that has guided us through the tough times. 

We are lucky for having such loving, generous friends and family.

We are thankful that Jim's suffering has ended and he is at peace.

We are sad that we will not be able to share any more special moments with a very dear man.