Our story begins almost 9 years ago when our first son, Caleb, was born. We were new parents and so happy to welcome our first child into our lives. At three weeks old, during a typical pediatrician checkup, the Doctor discovered something terribly wrong.
We were rushed to the hospital and after five days of poking and prodding our newborn and numerous invasive tests, we were given the devastating news that our son had a rare genetic immune disorder and would need to have a bone marrow transplant. Caleb received his transplant in 2008 and unfortunately sustained a brain injury during his treatment process. He had a very rough road.
My husband and I still had dreams of having more children and felt the odds were in our favor that a second child would not have to go through what Caleb went through. We were happy to welcome our second son, Caden, in 2012. When Caden was six weeks old, our world was rocked a second time when he too got diagnosed with the same genetic disorder and would also have to go through a bone marrow transplant. Caden had his transplant here at Wolfson Children’s Hospital in November of 2013 and had a much better recovery.
My husband and I have been through so much with both boys and have witnessed what other children have to go through as we lived in and out of the hospital. Our compassion for these kids and families grew and we knew we wanted to do something to give back and show these kids some love.
It all started with a bear. When Caden was in the hospital, he was given a build-a-bear by a close family friend. We witnessed first hand the comfort that bear brought him during his sickest moments. The idea was then born to raise money and provide these bears to as many sick and injured kids as we could. We then became a 501(c)(3) organization called Compassionate Hearts For Kids and started our first project, The Caden Project.
The Caden Project just celebrated our one year anniversary and have delivered over 700 bears! Locally, we have partnered with Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Brooks Rehab, UF Health, Dreams Come True and Community PedsCare and provide bears on a monthly basis to these organizations. We have already branched out to Orlando and soon to be in Tampa. Our goal is to one day deliver to every children’s hospital in the nation!
We need the help of the community to help us spread the word about who we are and what we are doing so we can reach more children. You can help by liking our Facebook page and sharing it with others, donating to our cause, planning a group build-a-bear party and making bears for us and also coming with us to deliver bears. It will be an experience you will never forget!
To learn more about us, check out our webpage and Facebook page.
If you are interested in helping out in any way, please contact me, [email protected].
About the Author
Christina Wood always wanted to be a career woman. She 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 her and her husband decided to have a family, she would then give up her career and be a stay at home mom. Christina had her first child in 2006 and caring for her son and his intense medical needs, became her top priority. She is now a mom of a special needs child and the mom of a vibrant three-year-old and has been married to her husband for 19 wonderful, yet sometimes challenging and strengthening years. Christina is also the President of an amazing non-profit organization that allows her to show love and compassion to hurting kids. Although she would have never chosen the circumstances that she has been through with her boys, Christina is honored to be able to have the opportunity to share love and hope to other children and families.
