Partnership, generosity result in special bed
Donna Sybert, the Eagle's assistant managing editor, is a seasoned newswoman who has processed hundreds of letters to Santa written each year by county children during her decades of employment in the newsroom.
But a note to the Jolly Old Elf sent in 2019 by Ryan Fester of Butler Township tugged at the news veteran's heartstrings.
“My biggest wish is for help trying to get my SleepSafe bed for my special needs,” Ryan's letter read. “Our insurance doesn't want to help us and I'm too big for my crib and it's hard on me health wise, so please send us some help, Santa. I will make sure Mom leaves cookies and milk and reindeer snacks!”
That letter set into motion a chain of generosity that extended from the Eagle's publisher to each and every employee at the newspaper, and formed a special collaboration between the Eagle and the Center for Community Resources on Main Street.
And on Thursday, 6-year-old Ryan enjoyed the fruits of that generosity by sleeping in his own room the first time in his “big boy bed.”
“I wish I could have a list of names so I could thank everybody,” said Denise Fester, Ryan's mom. “It's been such a blessing.”
Fester explained that Ryan has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, has two tubes to aid his digestion because he cannot eat, and is nonverbal.
Because he is prone to pneumonia from drops of his liquid meals seeping into his lungs, his head must be elevated at feeding time and during the night.
“He's been in the hospital so many times for aspiration pneumonia,” Fester said.
At night, Fester or an overnight nurse had to change his position every 20 minutes in the crib or toddler bed in his parents' room or the living room, where he previously slept.
The SleepSafe bed allows Fester to raise or lower Ryan's head or feet, raise or lower the entire bed, or see through windows on the high wooden railing to check on Ryan.
The inside of the wooden railing is padded in case Ryan suffers a seizure, and has an attached IV pole. The entire bed is operated electrically.
“And it doesn't look like a hospital bed,” a clearly delighted Fester reported. “It's oak, and it looks more like a typical twin bed.”
She said Ryan's reaction to using his bed for the first time demonstrated that he approved.
“He got a big smile on his face,” Fester said. “He was really excited.”
She said because of the coronavirus pandemic, her overnight nurses have been reduced from seven nights per week to two.
That means Fester got up every 20 minutes to position Ryan in his old crib or toddler bed.
“I don't sleep much,” Fester said. “It catches up to me.”
But the new bed allows her to cradle Ryan in the bed, which ensures that he's not going to fall out or get into an unsafe position.
“This gives me a sense of safety,” Fester said. “I can't see him ever needing another bed, honestly, except maybe a new mattress down the road.”She remembers the initial telephone call from Sybert, who told her the Eagle would like to raise the money for a SleepSafe bed.Sybert had received approval from Ron Vodenichar, the Eagle's publisher, for a company-wide employee fundraising project to get the $6,000 bed for Ryan.Vodenichar approached Alice Lunn, the Eagle's circulation director, about spearheading the employee fundraisers.Lunn approached the Center for Community Resources about the project, and was delighted to receive a $3,000 grant.The Eagle then put up the remaining $3,000 with the idea of using employee fundraisers to reimburse that amount, and Fester was told to order the bed.But Sybert received a call from a crestfallen Fester, who reported the bed's cost was now $10,000.But that call only strengthened the resolve of Sybert and Lunn, who went full steam with in-house fundraisers.Lunn asked each department at the Eagle to put together a gift basket to be raffled at the company Christmas dinner, where 50/50 raffle tickets were also sold. Among the staff attending and supporting the effort were members of the Eagle's sister publication, the Pittsburgh City Paper.The same format raised funds at a dinner and 401K presentation at the Eagle.Another department put on a fundraiser luncheon, where all employees could enjoy two hot dogs, chips and a soda for $5.An employee football pool for the Super Bowl and a raffle for a book of lottery scratch-off tickets also raised funds for Ryan's bed.While the bed could not be purchased by Christmas, which was Sybert's wish, the generosity of the Eagle employees and CCR eventually prevailed and the $7,000 was raised to buy the SleepSafe bed.“We are all so excited to see that Ryan has his new bed,” Vodenichar said. “We are very proud of the Eagle employees, who adopted this project and helped make this happen.”Sybert is thrilled as well.“It's a little boy who needed a bed. A bed!” Sybert said. “We all take for granted that we have a safe place to sleep.”Chris Lunn, chief fiscal officer at CCR and Alice Lunn's nephew, said an employee fund at CCR made up part of the $3,000 grant.“The staff donates to a community needs fund that we use for needs that arise, but they're not normally as high-priced as the bed,” Chris Lunn said.He said buying a pair of work boots for a newly employed veteran or paying for a veteran's driver's license or background check so he or she can be employed are normal uses for the CCR community needs fund.“But this year, we were able to participate with the Eagle in this,” Chris Lunn said. “It's definitely a nice project to be involved in.”The remainder of the CCR money came from funds in the agency's budget reserve, and CCR ordered the bed from SleepSafe Beds for the Festers.Fester remains overwhelmed at the generosity shown to her son, who now slumbers safely in his special bed.“I can't express my gratitude enough to everyone who helped with this,” Fester said. “When Donna called me, I cried to her because I was so overjoyed.”Vodenichar is pleased that each department at the Eagle raised money for the SleepSafe bed.“We wish Ryan and his family much happiness,” he said.Alice Lunn summed up the feelings of all who kicked in to fulfill Ryan's Christmas wish to Santa.“Yes, Ryan, there is a Santa Claus,” she said.
