For the Love of Daniel

Daniel is a 4-year-old boy that touched my heart, as he struggles with his own.

Daniel was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, which means that the left side of Daniel's heart is underdeveloped. He was immediately rushed to surgery to help save his life. His birth mother put him up for adoption without knowing about this defect.

Rebekah Jones was one of Daniel's nurses, and immediately fell in love with and adopted him. She knew very well what she was getting into, but also knew he would need care by a professional.

Daniel has undergone many surgeries over the past couple of years, spending months in and out of hospitals. Over the last year or so, Daniel's condition has worsened, and his heart is failing him. He is now on the list for a heart transplant. No one knows how long it may take to receive a heart from a person so young, or even if he will survive the surgery. So Rebekah, a single parent, tries to do all she can for her son in the meantime.

A Pond for Daniel

Daniel loves being around water and fish, so his mother contacted Peterson's Landscape, a customer of Ewing’s North Richland Hills, Tex., branch. When Richard Navarrette with Peterson's showed up at their house to give them the bid, he immediately realized Rebekah's budget wasn't nearly enough to cover this type of water feature. He also noticed a little boy walking around with an oxygen tank, so she told him Daniel's story.

The story moved Richard, so he contacted me about donating a pond kit for a project. I am asked several times a year about donations, but when Richard told me this story, I decided to help out with any and all resources I could.

With the help of Ewing employees Craig Freeman, Clinton Elms, Kirk Burris, and Jimmy Wright, we were able to locate a Savio pond kit to donate to this cause. Joe Peterson, the owner of Peterson’s Landscape, was able to get the koi fish and electrical work donated. This was all done without Rebekah's knowledge.

To her surprise, Peterson's showed up in mid-September and installed the water feature and trees to help shade the area for Daniel. Joe asked everyone that helped with the project to attend a ceremony to present Daniel with his new pond and, best of all, let him release his new fish into the pond. Joe Peterson also gave Rebekah a check for $250 to help with the fish food and maintenance.

I am blessed to work with so many people that are willing to step up and make a difference when they see the need. Daniel is a very sweet and polite little boy, and deserves everything that is being done for him and his mother. A big thank you goes out to the people that helped make this happen.

Daniel's mother has set up a website, www.fortheloveofdaniel.com, if you would like to learn more about him and his story or make a donation to help with their expenses.