Sam's Mom emailled my mom that Sam was not going to have to be in the hospital any more. I was very happy and excited, until my mom told me it was because they couldn't fix Sam's cancer anymore. Every single day I asked to go see Sam. He had lots of visitors and had lots of days that he didn't feel well enough for me to come see him. Still EVER.SINGLE.DAY I asked my mom if we could go to his house. I wanted to just be with him.
My Dad said that I should come up with a stuffed friend that I could put all my love to Sam into and then we could give it to Sam so my love would be right there even though I couldn't be. So I took the Build-a-Bear gift card that I got for my birthday last year and Mom and I went to Easton.
I built 2 dogs that looked exactly the same. I named mine Sam. I'm not sure what Sam named his. I told the ladies at Build-a-Bear all about my friend Sam.
I kinda cryed when I was putting the love into the heart before we put the heart in the dog. My Mom was crying too. The ladies at the store were so nice to us.
They put a big ribbon on Sam's dog and all 4 of the colored ribbons on his house. Then we went to Sam's house to give him his dog.
I kinda cryed when I was putting the love into the heart before we put the heart in the dog. My Mom was crying too. The ladies at the store were so nice to us.
Sam was asleep and very sick. He didn't even wake up to see me or his dog. His mom said she would tell him it was from me...I wanted to tell her about all the love that I had put in it and how I wanted to be with Sam every single day...but my voice wouldn't work. I didn't get to tell her. I never got to tell Sam. I wanted to hug and be with my friend, but I din't get to. So the whole way home I held my Sam Dog and squeezed him like I wanted to do with my real friend.
OK....MOM's GOING TO FINISH THE STORY.
We arrived home from Sam's house. We had dinner and Sam Dog got the extra seat at the table. And this is where things get a bit crazy. Zachary went out to be with his dad and I had to go to work. Sam Dog sat at the dinner table....until Zachary's new puppy Danny got ahold of him. Danny pulled both of Sam Dog's eyes out. Less than 5 hours after we got him. I got the call at work from a hysterical 9-year-old that was ready to get rid of his dog because of what he did. I tried to calm him down and told him that we would take Sam back to Build-a-Bear and see if he could be fixed.
The next day, I took Sam Dog to B-a-B. The same lady that had helped Zachary build Sam was working. She remembered us, she remembered all Zachary had said about his best buddy Samuel, she remembered the tears. She took Sam Dog and told me that there was 1 doctor, Dr. Robin, that takes care of all the sick and hurt build-a-bears. I heard that it would likely be 6-8 weeks before Sam Dog would come home to us.
There were many talks about how we wanted to fix BOTH Sam's. How life is just not fair.
The call went out for a prayer vigil for Samuel. That God would heal him, either here on earth or to heal him in heaven. Well, you can see the email that went out below. Our family prayed. Hard on our knees. We cried. We asked for God's will...and pleaded that His will would be ours and that we would hear of a miracle. Zachary called his little "girl friend" Hannah and the two of them prayed and talked of Sam. (Which will lead to another story I'll post.)
Samuel was healed during the prayer vigil...just not in the way we had hoped.
One week later, Zachary and I went down to Columbus for the visitation for Samuel. It was such a delight to see all his cherished toys and things everywhere. Zachary was looking for Samuel's Sam Dog, but we didn't see it. What he didn't know was, Build-a-Bear Easton had called me as we were walking out the door to let me know that Sam Dog was back from the "hospital". After only one week!!! After spending time near Sam and his family, after spending time writing down some of our memories for the family...we left. Obviously, I had a very somber little boy in my car. We have dealt with many deaths this past summer. Zachary's beloved Stormy (dog) was hit by a truck in front of our house. My grandmother passed a month before Sam, another little girl that we had been involved with praying and sending cards for passed a week before Sam, and now Sam. I drove to Easton and he didn't even look up. Finally after pulling into a meter spot near the front doors, he looked. The joy that broke through the tears was so precious. He realized he was going to be reunited with one of "his Sams".
We went into the store, and the ladies there were again so wonderful to us. We told them we were there to pick up our Sam Dog. Zachary shared that we had just come from seeing Sam and how he was now healed. He wandered off and I could talk with the sales assistant. I thanked her for how quick Sam Dog came back...she said that she had called Dr. Robin and explained the situation and Sam Dog was seen "STAT". Zachary came back and was holding a "Build-a-Bear" cell phone. Being somewhat strapped for cash, I opened my mouth to tell him that I couldn't buy anything else today...until he looked at me and said, "Could I have this phone, so Sam Dog and I can call Sam in heaven??" Of course...what could I do? For the 45 minute drive home, Zachary and Sam Dog "talked" to Sam in heaven. I heard things that broke my 'mama heart' and also made me feel like he was dealing better than I was.
Sam Dog went with us the to Celebration of Life the following day. And to the grave side. Since then, Sam Dog has gone everywhere with us. The grocery store, church, you name it. He's been back to see where Sam's earthly body is resting. He's handled lots of tears and plenty of hugs. And frequently, I hear conversations with heaven.
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