Family searching for the grieving parents who gave their daughter a special gift at Disney World
Kyle and Kara Geiselman are searching for grieving parents who gave their daughter a special gift in memory of their own little girl.
The Geiselmans, who live in North Andover, Mass., were enjoying a vacation at Disney World over Halloween, where they visited the opening of the new Star Wars attraction in Hollywood Studios. But it was what happened when their 5-year-old daughter Belle was approached by a pair of strangers that truly blew the family away.
After noticing Belle playing around, a fellow guest looked at her husband and asked Kyle if Belle “liked gold.” Unsure what she was implying, Kyle responded yes, and approved when the woman asked if she could give something to Belle.
“The couple proceeds to tell Kyle how they were at HS (Hollywood Studios) marking the one-year anniversary of their daughter’s Make-a-Wish trip,” Kara Geiselman wrote on her original Facebook post, which has since gone viral. “On their initial trip they had bought two gold Mickey Mouse rings, one for their daughter and one to gift to a child who in their words, ‘was adorable like their little girl.’”
The Geiselmans said they were “moved beyond belief that they chose our daughter to memorialize their daughter with,” adding that Kyle was at a loss for words.
“He wanted to tell them so much, that he was sorry for their insurmountable loss and about our own little warrior but in the moment only ‘thank you’ came out,” she wrote.
The fact that the couple chose the Geiselmans’ daughter to be the special recipient was especially poignant, since Belle herself faced tremendous struggles to survive in her early life as a premature baby. She and her identical twin Milly were born at just 30 weeks at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and the doctors weren’t sure that Belle would make it.
“We have a meeting with the doctors, and they were basically telling us they weren’t sure that Belle would survive,” Kyle Geiselman told Yahoo Lifestyle of the birth. “They were doing all they could do and they weren’t sure that Belle was gonna make it through the night.”
While Milly was released from the hospital after 77 days, Belle remained for 126, and required a feeding tube for the first 18 months of her life. While she’s doing very well now, her life has been full of challenges, which is why the couple’s choice of Belle to be the recipient of their gift is even more touching.
The fact that it all took place at Disney World was an interesting coincidence as well, seeing as how it has always been a special place for the Geiselman family: It’s where Belle ate by mouth for the first time ever.
“They didn’t know that we were back at the place where our daughter surprised us all and started eating by mouth for the first time at 18 months old, or that this trip was the first time she traveled to Disney without needing a feeding tube for nourishment or an oxygen mask on the flight,” Kara Geiselman wrote.
While the Geiselmans understand that the couple may not want to be found, they just want them to know that they chose the right child to receive their gift.
“Honestly, as much as we would like to speak with the couple, and kind of share a little more info about our daughter, our hope is that our message reaches them, and if they didn’t want to come forward, that’s fine,” says Kyle Geiselman. “This could have just been something they wanted to do and that’s the end of it. The message may not reach them. But if it does and they don’t want to contact us, that’d be fine. But it would be nice for us to know the message has reached them.”
Either way, the Geiselmans say they’ll always honor the tremendous gift they received.
“I’d love if they would contact us. I’d love to know their daughter’s name and call it that girl’s name ring,” Kara Geiselman told Yahoo. “And have it it be in her honor.”
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
Firefighters save stranded bride by giving her and bridesmaid ride to her wedding
Firefighter comforts preschooler with autism in sweet photo: ‘It warmed my heart’
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