Her sixth son, Mavrik was born with Down syndrome and a cardiac condition that confined him to the neonatal intensive care unit for the first seven months of his life. He has endured three cardiac surgeries and sports a permanent pacemaker.
But when he contracted a blood infection from strep, he experienced septic shock and his organs frighteningly began to shut down. He lost a ton of muscle and had to have both feet amputated.
“To see him like this was my darkest hour. My sweet baby … I felt lost and terrified. My other children had been without me for seven weeks and as a single parent, I could not leave Mavrik’s side. I did not know if he would make it through the night.”
Day after day, Mavrik received blood transfusions, plaque infusions and more. He was confused about where his feet went.
“When he began to wake up in the recovery room, he moved his blankie and asked me, ‘Where my feet go’ How do you explain this to a little boy?”
Not only was Johanna beside herself with worry about her little boy, but she was also concerned for her kids back home. On top of that, she had no means with which to pay all of their bills — she panicked.
The widow’s vehicle had also caught on fire and she needed to find a new place for the family to live that was handicap accessible for Mavrik’s sake.
She created a GoFundMe page for her son but it wasn’t enough. Everyone at Mavrik’s school adored the little boy, including then nine-year-old Annie Connerton. They became fast friends when Annie walked up to Mavrik on the school playground. She thought he was “cute and funny, and he was never sad.”
So when her best buddy was in the hospital struggling just to live, she knew she had to take action. The little girl set out to make friendship bracelets that would link her to Mavrik.
But this small gesture exploded in a way Annie could never have imagined.
She decided to craft a bunch of friendship bracelets and drum up money for Mavrik.
“I said, let’s sell them to people for $2 each.”
No one had a clue that Annie’s bracelet idea would catch on so quickly, her mom Kathleen Connerton said.
“She would come home and say, here’s $48. The teachers were buying them and the other children were buying them.”
Annie’s mission snowballed. Other kids at school pitched in to help, then other schools adopted Mavrik and started making and selling similar bracelets.
Local businesses vowed their support and a car was donated to the family. Kathleen was taken aback by the outpouring of support.
“I keep thinking of that expression of the ripple effect, where one small act of kindness just grows.”
Johanna was speechless when she learned how just two bracelets exploded into this initiative.
“I’m just really thankful for everyone just being there and supporting us.”
Watch Mavrik’s heartwarming story in the video below and see how one little girl’s gesture exploded into a community-wide gift of love and support for this little boy.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
