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Laredo The Bear!!!

his page is in memory of Daniel - who has touched everyone's heart on Chris Cagle's Message Board.  I truly hope it touches yours.   ~Kimberly - The webmaster

(This picture was taken by Yvette at Billy Bob's - 4/13/01  All Rights are Reserved)

Daniel's Story

Daniel was a five-year-old boy just like any boy his age.  He loved to play video games, he like to watch football, baseball, NASCAR and he loved to listen to music.  He was just like any other boy except for one thing.  Daniel was born with a heart defect. 

 I made Daniel’s acquaintance shortly after he turned five and instantly fell in love with him.  He glowed with a love for life.  The first time I met Daniel, his mother and him were watching some kids playing basketball.  I sat down next to him so he could pet my dog and he told me, “I can’t play like those boys but that’s OK because God has other plans for me.”  That was Daniel in a nutshell.  He never complained or questioned why.  He accepted his fate with a dignity that not too many adults could.

 Daniel’s mom was a single mother so I would often go stay with him when he wasn’t feeling well enough to go out and run errands with her.  We’d play video games, color, listen to music or just snuggle and watch TV.  I had brought my Chris Cagle CD over to play for him and he was instantly hooked.  We listened to it over and over again.  On my next visit, I brought him his own copy of the CD and a teddy bear with a T-shirt on it that I had wrote “Cagle’n On & On” on the front and “Cagle #1” on the back.  He named the bear Laredo because it was one of his favorite songs.  I had showed him a picture of Chris at one point and time and he said, “He needs a teddy bear and a hug!”  He was an astute little boy.

 On February 26^th Daniel was finally well enough to be put on the heart donor list.  On Tuesday evening, March 20^th, I came home from walking my dog to find Daniel being put in an ambulance.  He’d taken a turn for the worse and had to be put on life support.  The next day, Wednesday, I posted a plea for prayers on Chris’s message board.  I was overwhelmed with the response.  And all our prayers were answered, not in the way we would have hoped but they were answered.  Wednesday evening, the doctors told Daniel’s mom that even if they had a heart, there was no way Daniel would survive a transplant.  Daniel’s mom and her parents made the heart breaking decision to turn off the machines.

 At 10pm on Wednesday, March 21^st, they took Daniel off life support and off the ventilator.  He was conscious and able to talk to his mom a little.  His first concern was that she was OK.  His second concern was that she make me promise to get Laredo the bear to Chris.  I wasn’t able to be in the room but I did get to watch him from an observation window in the hall.  At one point he turned his head to look at me and smiled one last time for me.  That smile will be engraved in my heart forever.  It was a glimpse of the angel he would become.  At 12:16am, he went to sleep and slipped into God’s loving embrace.

 We all have the sweetest little angel watching over us now.  As you can see by the picture, I was able to fulfill my promise to Daniel with the help of Molly & Libby who saw that Laredo got to Chris safely.  Not only does Chris have Laredo traveling with him and Rock Ridge, he has Daniel watching over him.  And I know that every time Chris takes the stage, Daniel is there rockin’ with him.

I think if there was one thing Daniel would want us to learn from his life, it would be to live everyday as if it was our last.  And to love every little detail of that day because “God is in the details.”  Daniel touched many lives in the short time he was with us.  And I know I am a better person for having known him. 

(Written By: Sami a.k.a Sandra)