A grieving mom has penned a moving open letter of gratitude to a cast member at Walt Disney World for paying tribute to her deceased baby daughter.
In a Facebook post that’s gone viral this week, Janice Maureen Murphy, whose infant daughter Analiese died last month, explained how a Fairy Godmother at the theme park helped her connect -- for one very special moment -- to her child.
Murphy said she brought a purple teddy bear with Analiese’s ashes to the amusement park and lined up to see the Fairy Godmother. Just before the meeting with the actress, Murphy said she cried for several minutes, mourning all the things her “daughter will never experience.”
As photos of the interaction showed, the mom's tears were replaced by a big smile -- all thanks to an unexpected act of compassion.
“When you found out that my daughter died, and that her ashes are within the bear, you treated her the same way you treat every child that comes to see you every single day: with love, compassion and kindness. When you hugged her, and kissed her cheek, you made me feel like Analiese mattered to you,” Murphy wrote.
In a post on her blog, Murphy explained what a comfort the purple teddy bear had been since Analiese's death.
“Now, when I snuggle her bear, I’m able to snuggle my daughter as well. Not the way I desperately want, but better than nothing,” she wrote.
Murphy's Facebook post has been shared more than 29,000 times to date.
According to one commenter, the mom's poignant words were also shared with the Fairy Godmother in the photograph.
