Zoe Bernard-Salois and some of her friends. (Photo: www.lespeluchesdezoe.com)
Photo Credit: www.lespeluchesdezoe.com

The wonderful story of Zoe’s plush toys

What started out last year as a campaign to make one Quebec girl’s last wish come true turned into a wave of comfort for suffering children in other countries.

As if her first few years on this earth had not already been challenging enough for Zoe Bernard-Salois, who underwent a heart transplant as a toddler, cancer struck five years later.

While the 8-year old girl fought to stay alive, she told her father around Christmas last year that she dreamed of receiving the gift of 1,000 stuffed animals.

The community in Bromont, Quebec, rallied and sent out a call for donations which resonated across the world.

(Photo:  www.lespeluchesdezoe.com)

(Photo: www.lespeluchesdezoe.com)

Plush toys of all colours, shapes and sizes started flooding in from as far as Japan and India and in six weeks, Zoe had 25,000 at her door.

Spreading the smiles

The teddy bears and other creatures that brought her so much joy were not done with their travels though.

When Zoe passed away in January, they were sent to Guatemala, Haiti and Syria to bring joy to needy children there.  Organizer Sabrina Michaud told Radio-Canada :

“The stuffed animals that went to Syria were for children who experienced war.  And to offer them something soft, comforting…for a child a stuffed animal is a universe.  It’s his friend, his confidante.”

Michaud notes that in poorer countries, having a plush toy is a luxury for some children, so she is repeating the “Peluches de Zoe” campaign again this year, appealing to people’s generosity to collect stuffed animals for orphanages and pediatric hospitals in Guatemala.

Categories: Society
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