Our story unfolds over 10 years ago when we had our first son, Caleb, in 2006. We were happy and excited to welcome our first child and had so many hopes and dreams for him and us as a family. Our dreams came to a screeching halt and our world was forever changed when at 3 weeks old he became very sick. As the doctors frantically tried to figure out what was wrong with him, it seemed as if everything around us was spiraling downwards. They broke the news to us that he had a very aggressive genetic immune disorder that required a bone marrow transplant to survive which he had in 2008 at the age of 18 months old. To complicate things more, he had a stroke and sustained a brain injury during his treatment process that caused him to start having seizures.
About four years after Caleb’s transplant, we decided we wanted to have more kids. We were past the previous shock and ready to move forward with our lives. We then had our second son, Caden, in 2012 and when he turned 6 weeks old, he became very sick and we were yet again devastated with the news that he, too, had the same disease and would also need a bone marrow transplant to survive. To say we were devastated is an understatement. To go through it once was shocking enough but twice was unbelievable.
Caden went through his bone marrow transplant in 2013 at the age of 15 months old. While he was there, a close family friend gave him a teddy bear to comfort him and give him a “friend.” We had no idea what that small act of kindness would lead to.
When Caden received that bear and we saw what it did for him, we decided to start a nonprofit organization in 2013 called Compassionate Hearts For Kids. Being in the hospital with both boys and seeing what these kids and families went through has given us immense compassion and love towards others. We decided to launch our first outreach called The Caden Project where we travel to different children’s hospitals and give our own “Caden” teddy bears to sick kids. The reactions we get not only from the kids but the parents are priceless! It’s the small act of kindness that we display through giving them a teddy bear and showing that we care that means the world to them.
We are excited to announce this year we launched a children’s book called A Bear Finds His Purpose, which shares the true story about what we do but also has a meaningful, teachable message that can be shared with children about how they can do small things to help others and make a difference in someone else’s life. We call it The Caden Project Challenge and we hope it sparks a “pay it forward” or “ripple effect” in people’s lives. Our book comes with its very own miniature “Caden” teddy bear and a reusable tote bag. The proceeds from this book/bear combo is helping us expand and reach more kids!
To learn more about us, visit our website and follow us on Facebook and YouTube to see what we are up to!
We are also very excited to announce we won the gold award for the Mom’s Choice Awards and the Community Giving award for the NAPPA awards. You can get your own copy of A Bear Finds His Purpose and help spark The Caden Project Challenge with your own kids.
About the Author
Christina Wood received a Bachelors degree in Public Relations back in 2001 and had the opportunity to work in the field of marketing for several years. Christina knew that when they decided to have a family, she would then give up her career and be a stay at home mom but had no idea the journey she and her husband Richard were about to embark on with both of their sons. Christina is now the Founder and President of an amazing non-profit organization that allows her to show love and compassion to sick and hurting kids. Christina and her husband Richard have been married for 23 years and their sons Caleb and Caden are now 12 and 6 years old. They are honored to be able to have the opportunity to share love and hope to other children and families!
