The post Compassionate Hearts for Kids – The Caden Project Testimony appeared first on Women Devotions.

In this post, we are featuring a powerful testimony from Compassionate Hearts For Kids. This is a true example of God using a heartbreaking situation in one family to reach others for His glory. We pray their story encourages you to have compassion and love for children in need, just as Jesus Christ did. And we ask that you follow God’s lead in joining this organization.

 Caden Project Testimony

Our story unfolds over 10 years ago when we had our first son, Caleb, in 2006. We were happy and excited to welcome our first child and had so many hopes and dreams for him and us as a family.

Our dreams came to a screeching halt and our world was forever changed when at 3 weeks old he became very sick. As the doctors frantically tried to figure out what was wrong with him, it seemed like everything around us was spiraling downwards.

They broke the news to us that he had a very aggressive genetic immune disorder that required a Bone Marrow Transplant to survive which he had in 2008 at the age of 18 months old. To complicate things more, he had a stroke and sustained a brain injury during his treatment process that caused him to start having seizures.

We felt we were in a nightmare that we couldn’t escape. Our faith was tested like never before. I road the typical emotional roller coaster of being mad at God to being sad at our situation to completing cutting people off and not wanting to be around anyone who had a“typical” life. I would get jealous of other people who had healthy children.

About 4 years after Caleb’s transplant we decided we wanted to have more kids. We were past the shock of everything and ready to move forward with our lives. We then had our second son, Caden, in 2012 and when he turned 6 weeks old he became very sick and we were yet again devastated with the news he too had the same disease and would also need a bone marrow transplant to survive. To say we were devastated is an understatement. To go through it once was shocking enough but twice was unbelievable!

Caden went through his bone marrow transplant in 2013 at the age of 15 months old. While he was there a close family friend gave him a teddy bear to comfort him and give him a “friend”. We had no idea what that small act of kindness would lead to or what God had planned to do! He completely took a situation that Satan intended for evil and he turned it into good hence Romans 8:28. We had no idea the path we were about to embark on!

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose”. The reason I mention this verse is that we are living proof of this verse which is what I want to share now.”

When Caden received that bear and we saw what it did for him we decided to start a non-profit organization called Compassionate Hearts For Kids that we started back in 2013 shortly after his transplant.

Being in the hospital with both boys and seeing what these kids and families went through has given us this immense compassion and love towards others. We decided to launch our first outreach called The Caden Project where we travel around to different children’s hospitals and give our own “Caden” teddy bears to sick kids. The reaction we get not only from the kids but the parents are priceless! It’s the small act of kindness that we display through giving them a teddy bear and showing that we care that means the world to them.

Then at the beginning of this year we launched a children’s book called “A Bear Finds His Purpose” that shares the true story about what we do but also has a meaningful teachable message that can be shared with children about how they can do small things to help others and make a difference in someone else’s life. We call it The Caden Project Challenge and we hope it sparks a “pay it forward” or “ripple effect” in people’s lives. Our book comes with it’s very own miniature “Caden” teddy bear and a reusable tote bag. The proceeds from this book/bear combo are helping us expand and reach more kids!

To learn more about us go to our website below. Also, follow us on Facebook and YouTube to see what we are up to!

We are excited to announce we just won the gold award for the Mom’s Choice Awards and the Community Giving Award for the NAPPA Awards! You can get your own copy of “A Bear Finds His Purpose” and help spark The Caden Project Challenge with your own kids!

I hope our story has inspired you that no matter what you might have gone through or are currently going through, God can take any situation and use it for good to help other people. We are living proof of that. We have had immense heartache with watching both of our boys go through what they’ve gone through but the joy we are receiving by blessing others is priceless!

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