Eleanor says "Thank You" for Jerry The Bear

Eleanor and I were stunned and thrilled that the entire cost of Jerry The Bear was raised for her in about 4 hours! What amazing friends we have that care so much about us!  And some of the donations came from people we don't even know! We really don't know how to say "Thank You!" loud enough, or clear enough, but you can be sure that it's coming from the bottom of our hearts with jubilant joy!  Thank you John, Melyssa, Lena, Beth, Bekah, Kimberly, The Mrla-Grays, Misty, Parker, Kady, Joshua, Summer & Sheridan.  If you didn't get a chance to donate, and you wanted to… there's going to be another chance…

…because Eleanor is in a tizzy to get started on a project to provide bears for other little kids with type 1 diabetes, especially kids who are newly diagnosed, just like her.

In fact!  She is well on her way already! Eleanor got a note from Aaron, Hannah & Jerry himself! They're the folks at Sproutel who designed and developed Jerry.  When they got wind of her idea to help put Jerry The Bear in the arms of other kids like her, they wanted to help her reach her goal.  We'll be talking with them soon, and moving forward right away.  For such a little girl, she sure has big dreams and a big heart!

The Davidson Ambassador program operates on an annual schedule, so she'll have to wait until application season to get that part of her plan underway, but that doesn't mean she can't get to work on her own in the meantime, the ambassador program is  meant to offer guidance, support and education.  Kind of the way Jerry The Bear does!  She can do the work without them, but they sure will make her feel better!

My stuffed animals from childhood are absolutely real. I tried to treat them fairly: sleeping with them each in turn to prevent hurting their furry little feelings.  They were there for me when I was hiding under the covers, scared of a funny noise in the dark. They were even there for me when I needed to vent some frustration and throw them across the room.  They never minded taking the heat.  Like Raggedy Ann & Andy, They'd land with a soft flomp and just keep right on smiling, because it was painted on, of course!  (Though I wouldn't recommend throwing Jerry, plenty of other stuffies can bear up!) And, like the Velveteen Rabbit, they were there for me when I was sick in bed.  That's exactly what Jerry The Bear does too.  He's a comfort to a child who's trying to sort out all the new feelings that come with a Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis.

Many of my favorite fluffy stuffed friends meant so much to me that I saved them forever. A very select few, like Sammy, pictured right,  have been granted the highest honor of being handed down to Eleanor, or one of the boys. Anyone who's read the Velveteen Rabbit or Winnie The Pooh knows that our friends that are all stuffed with fluff are some of the longest lasting most loyal friends we have in life.  Ever.  Thank goodness we don't have to burn them all when a child contracts Type One Diabetes!  There's no other love quite like it.  Tell me how your own bestest stuffed friends got you through the tough times in the comments section below.  And once again, Thank you Beary Much for all the donations!  We hope you'll be willing to help Eleanor with her new endeavor as well!