For those that may not know, I’ll give a little history about Ari’s Bears. When Ariella was in treatment initially she received all sorts of packages and goodies from various organizations. The gifts she received helped her get through the tough days. She was particularly inspired by Jessie Rees, a girl who had DIPG, but still wanted to help other children fighting cancer. She did so by creating Joy Jars that were stuffed with various toys and things such as earbuds and socks and all sorts of fun items. Ariella looked forward to receiving her Joy Jars and decided she also wanted to make sick children feel better. She had the idea to go to Build a Bear, make bears, and deliver them to children in the hospital. Instead of birthday or Chanukah gifts she asked for gift cards to Build a Bear. She earned points for tough treatments in the hospital and redeemed those points for Build a Bear gift cards to make bears for other children, instead of getting something for herself.
We started small, just by bringing bears to her clinic appoints and hospital stays. But Ariella really wanted the foundation to grow so we became a Founding Hope Fund under the American Childhood Cancer Organization. Ariella hand delivered bears to 8 local hospitals and respite houses and mailed many out of state. It was so great to see the joy she got by making the other children happy. Even when she was inpatient in the hospital she brought bears to distribute. And every weekend she wanted to go to Build a Bear to make more bears. She loved bringing friends along and we especially had fun dressing them and picking out cute accessories.
When Ariella died we knew we had to continue with Ari’s Bears, as hard as it may be for us. Ari’s Bears is her legacy, it’s what she will be remembered for, her impact on others. And it is hard to continue with Ari’s Bears, but it would be impossible not to continue. We are growing, and in the process of filing paperwork to form our own non-profit rather than stay under the umbrella of the American Childhood Organization. It’s heartbreaking that Ariella is not alive to realize her dream of having Ari’s Bears in several states. It’s devastating that she will never fully realize the impact she had on people. It feels wrong to do Ari’s Bears without her but I know she would be angry if we didn’t. And again, it was her passion, her idea, and we need to be sure her legacy lives on.
Today I went with a friend and some girls to the hospital where Ariella was initially treated, to distribute bears. I thought it would be impossible to step through those doors, but it was okay. Though Ariella had some rough times in that hospital, we always knew there was an end in sight. And she actually had some enjoyable times as well. Even going in the playroom was okay. She had a lot of good moments there, playing foosball, watching movies, doing crafts, playing games, and chilling on the waterbed. We spent so much time in the hospital that we got used to it, it felt comfortable, and we managed to make the best of a bad situation. But being there giving out bears without her, that was hard. She should have been there, setting up the bears just so (she was very particular about how she set them up). She should have been there, sharing her story, instead of me. She should have been there, challenging me to a game of foosball while we were there. Being there, without her, was so incredibly difficult. Only made up for by the joy we brought to the children.
