BEARS ON PATROL

I received an email from a reader yesterday by the name of Joe and feel that it has to be shared with all of you.

Please ... speaking as Andrew's father here and not "Uncle Bob" ... do what you can. Even if it's just broadcasting this message on your own website, just do what you can.

dear uncle bob,

i'm not really even sure why i'm writing this, except that i read and enjoy you every single day and know that a lot of other people do too and that maybe your readers sometimes help out other people.

i'm not sure exactly what you can do, but here's my story..... a little over 3 weeks ago, my 2 year old son, max, drowned in our swimming pool.

while his mother, amy, and i went to the hospital his 12 year old brother, jake and 7 year old sister, carson stayed with amy's parents.

while the police were there, they gave jake and carson stuffed teddy bears to comfort them.

imagine my surprise when i saw a tough 12 year old boy lugging his bear, max, with him where ever he goes.

while nothing can take away our pain, the bears have truly provided some comfort.

while planning the funeral we found out that the bears are part of a program called "Bears on Patrol". they are collected, cleaned and then given to police and sheriffs to give to children in times of distress.

two weeks after max's death, we presented the police, at a local radio station, over 400 bears.

what we plan on doing, is collecting money and bears all year and every year on april 23, (max's birthday), we will buy bears and present them to the police.

we are working on fund raisers right know and coming up with diffferent ideas. no, it doesn't make up for the loss at all, but i've seen the bears work and if that helps someone else, then i'm all for it.

i've include the flyer that talks about the program and the donation information.

if you could say something about it and link it, it would be greatly appreciated.

yes, i know i'm probably taking a cheap shot appealing to a devoted father, but that's part of what makes your diary so special, your love of your son.

i would appreciate any help or just your prayers.

keep writing, it's one of the few things that makes me laugh with any consistency. thanks for letting me vent....

sincerely,

joe steiner