On May 23, 2022, the night Gideon went to Heaven, the ER team gave Gideon and his two young cousins a Prayer Bear. Since then, it has become our annual tradition to honor Gideon’s life and legacy by donating Prayer Bears in his memory every May 23rd.
Let me walk you through the journey of the Prayer Bears donated in memory of Gideon:
Step 1. Generous donors fill out this form stating the number of Prayer Bears they would like to donate.
Step 2. Boxes of soft and cuddly teddy bears in different shapes and sizes are ordered and delivered to me.
Step 3. Family and friends help decorate and pray over each box of Prayer Bears. We pray for the children and families who receive the bears, as well as for the hospital staff who deliver them.
Step 4. The boxes are loaded up to be delivered to the hospital and placed in the Bear Den.
Step 5. Hospital volunteers add colorful ribbons to each bear.
Step 6. Prayer Bears are delivered to children who need encouragement or support after a painful procedure, during a lengthy hospital stay, or during difficult times. The hospital chaplains tell children that “this bear comes to you with love from people you have never met who are praying for you.”
Last year, 1,296 Prayer Bears were donated to the hospital in memory of Gideon. In all of 2024, the hospital gave out over 18,000 Prayer Bears. That averages out to approximately 350 bears per week. Gideon would be five years old, if he were alive today. I would love to be able to provide the hospital with five week’s worth of Prayer Bears – that’s a goal of 1,750 bears this year.
If you would like to honor Gideon’s memory, you may purchase Prayer Bears for $9.00 each. Please fill out this form to help me keep track. I will order the bears, pray over the boxes with family and friends, and deliver them to the hospital in Gideon’s honor on May 23rd.
I’ve found serving others in the midst of my grief to be healing. It shifts my focus off of myself and on to other people who are also hurting. I’m thankful for the promise of Psalms 34:18, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Thank you for helping us serve others while honoring Gideon’s life. You’re making a huge difference for so many people.