Why do I spend so much time and labor making teddy bears?

Because I can.  And because I enjoy sharing my God-given talents with children who could use some cheering up.  To see their little faces light up with expectation and surprise brings joy to my own.  If I could take just a fraction of the pain they have endured, then it has been worth it to me.

I have been creating and sewing teddy bears for children with cancer or an other life-threatening diseases for the past ten years.  I have met hundreds, no, thousands, of children across the country when I have delivered my teddy bears to children's hospitals.  I not only bring joy to the children: I bring joy to their families and those who are fighting to help them survive in any way they possibly can.

I started this when my own daughter was diagnosed with leukemia when she was only two.  I wanted to help her through her battle, so I got the idea to make a teddy bear that she could hold on to while undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments.  It was hard seeing her lose her hair and becoming so sick; I wanted nothing more than to take that awful leukemia away from her (but knowing full well I couldn't).  Then she got worse and died; she was only eight years old.  It was the worst thing that I had ever experienced.

Once I got over the worst of the grieving process, I decided to make teddy bears as a way of keeping Alisha's memory alive.  Alisha loved teddy bears; she had dozens of bears, bears of all shapes, colors, and sizes.  So I decided to help children like her, as a way of keeping her spirit going.  Turns out it has been the best possible thing I could have ever done.

So that is what I do.  I'm retired, so I have all the time in the world to work on my bears and take them to the children.  With the holidays rapidly approaching (it will be Halloween in a few weeks), the bears would man even more to them and their families.

I hope to continue to do this as long as I can.  As long as God's given me the talent to create and to sew, I will be serving Him by reaching out to those dear children who need some hope or encouragement the most.