Teddy Bears

It started out when I read a post on Facebook about a program in Saskatchewan. It was called Teddy Bear Anonymous. They wanted slippers made to look like Teddy Bears to give children in hospitals. I thought it would be a great project for me to use up my wool and to knit something different. I found a contact with the organization, and I made arrangements to drop off the slippers with Summer in Moosomin. As we made the exchange, I simply asked Summer about the story behind the slippers. Her response has led to this blog. She has given me permission to share her families story. 

Summer shared that her Uncle Luke Lawerence started Teddy Bears Anonymous after his daughter died in 2008. It was to honor Erin's love for life and her compassion for sick children. Erin and her mother had died of the same rare form of gastric cancer called Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer. Erin was one day short of her 21 birthday at the time of her death. Her mother died at 29, Erin was 5 and her brother Jared was only 2. 

Luke wrote a book called "Erin's Gift" which is a memoir of the family journey through this rare aggressive cancer. The surgeries and treatments that they endured in an effort to save RoseMarie's life and then sixteen years later to save Erin's. It shares Erin's courage in her last months.  It is a remarkable story of strength and love for each other. 

Luke pushed the medical system for answers and learned there is a genetic test for the cancer his wife and daughter died of. It was determined his son had a 67% chance of developing the same cancer. At 18, Jared became the youngest person known to have his stomach removed. Luke hopes that with continued research a test will be developed to prevent unnecessary prophylactic gastrectomy's. A good majority of the family have had genetic testing. Summer's father tested positive and both her and her sister also tested positive. Summer and Ali have had their stomachs removed as a prophylactic measure. 

Teddy Bear Anonymous is a charitable organization in Saskatchewan that is totally managed by donations. Luke is the President and Jared is a director. They have given over 40,000 new Teddy Bears to hospitalized children. He now wants to give teddy bear slippers to keep their feet warm. There is a wonderful website which I encourage each of you to check out. 

The chance meeting just about didn't happen for Summer and me. Her children's school bus was late, and she was going to ask me to drop the slippers off at her sisters. But she made it, and she was certainly someone that I needed to come into my life on that cold, wet windy morning in June. I had no idea there was so much to the story behind dropping off some slippers. I came away with an overwhelming feeling of inspiration.  

Teddy Bear Anonymous is being acknowledged in memory of a little Saskatchewan girl Bella Brave. Bella Thompson recently passed away at the age of 10. She suffered her entire life with Hirschsprung's Disease and severe immunodeficiency. She had become an inspiring TikTok with 7 million followers, and her death was felt by so many.  

Luke's second wife, Jan died in January at the age of 67. She was the one that helped him raise his children and was very involved in Teddy Bear Anonymous. Some people have so many struggles and losses. It is just admirable when those people take their losses and turn it into a way of helping others. There is just so much more to this story than I could ever write. 

I just want to end this post, by saying, "Thank you to Luke and his family for caring for the sick children in Saskatchewan". Because of this organization, every sick child can cuddle a teddy bear and hopefully have slippers to keep their feet warm in such a scary time in their lives.