KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Abe Smith wants to make the holidays more bearable for patients at Children’s Mercy Hospital.
On his first birthday, Abe had a seizure and ended up in the Children’s Mercy emergency room.
But that wasn’t his only visit. He’s been back twice since then.
Thinking back on the scary times he faced at the hospital, he says the teddy bears he was given during his longer stays made him feel “happy.”
“He was super touched by the last time that he got them and kind of started a conversation,” said Abe’s mom Nichole Smith. “So he wanted to make sure that kids over the holidays were able to also have some teddy bears.”
Thus, an idea was born to provide a “Beary Merry Christmas” to others.
Nichole posted on Facebook asking for donations to an Amazon wishlist. Within days, her plea to friends and family turned into something much greater than she had imagined.
The night of Nov. 11, the Smith family came home to a front porch overflowing with packages. The contents included 79 packs of Crayolas, 92 coloring books and 162 stuffed animals.
“I can see the amount of joy that this will bring for other kids, which is so exciting,” Nichole Smith said.
Abe was so encouraged he decided to set a goal of 500 bears.
And when he goes to deliver them, he says he plans to dress as Santa Claus to spread extra cheer.
“We’re just thrilled to bring them up there and kind of bring some smiles during the holidays to the kids there,” Nichole Smith said.
Anyone interested in giving to Abe’s initiative can do so at the link here.
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