Noah Biorkman is a 5-year-old boy from Michigan who was diagnosed with Stage IV neuroblastoma more than two years ago. He passed away on Monday.
When it became clear to Noah's mother Diana that her son would probably not be here to celebrate his favorite holiday on December 25, the family moved up its festivities to November 8. As part of that celebration, Noah's mother posted a request online for folks to send Christmas cards to her little boy. The request quickly circulated the Internet; caught the attention of local, national, and international media; and tugged at the heartstrings of many. So much so that Noah received more than one million Christmas cards at his home. One of which was from me.
I sent Noah my last Raymond Briggs' Snowman card, which I've been hanging on to for years. For anyone who's not familiar with the story, it's about a young boy who builds a snowman in his front yard and, in the late-night hours, it comes to life. The boy introduces the snowman to his world--shiny ornaments on the tree, the fruit bowl in the kitchen, roller skates, and dress-up clothes--and the snowman introduces the boy to his world which includes a magical, soaring flight over the forest, ocean, and Northern Lights--all the way to the North Pole. It's a dream-come-true sort of event that comes to an end all too soon for the boy. All that's left is a fond memory and a tangible reminder that our time together is not infinite.
It's a beautiful story--perhaps the most somber children's Christmas story I've encountered--but when I read about Noah's mother's plea and her plans to give her son the celebration of a lifetime, I knew that remaining Snowman Christmas card was meant for this very real little boy.
Watch The Snowman--complete with the 1982 David Bowie intro (26:07)
_________________________________________________________________________ © 2009 Good Karma Housekeeping. Making the space--mentally and physically--to live happily ever after. Because what fun is life if you can't dream about fairytale endings?
