My Journey with Mitchell

Mitchell

         It took me a while to decide whether I should write anything about this. But the feeling was just so overwhelming, and I just felt I needed to share this experience with whoever may end up reading this.  

         This is a story, my story, about a handsome young man named Mitchell. Now, you see, I have never met Mitchell in person. But I did know plenty about him and his beautiful life.  It all started earlier this year in January when a few of my Facebook friends started to comment, like, and share posts and pictures from a page called “Mitchell’s Journey”.

Click here to check it out ---> https://www.facebook.com/mitchellsjourney

 

         Curiosity got the best of me and I finally checked out the page and it nearly broke my heart. As soon as I started reading about Mitchell, the more I fell in love with this courageous, beautiful, young soul. He was suffering from a terrible disease called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and was suffering deeply because of it. His father, Chris, was the one in charge of the page. I kept reading every post, looked at every picture, but I simply could not bring myself to actually LIKE the page. I still can’t point out why, but I just couldn’t do it.

         It was around the middle of February that I got an idea. It was exactly like in cartoons, how a little light bulb goes off at the top of your head. I had been keeping up with Mitchell’s page and was aware of his declining health. I knew I couldn’t possibly do anything to help save him, but I had this incredibly strong feeling that I just HAD TO DO SOMETHING. Anything. But what could I possibly do? And that’s when the light went off at the top of my head.

I make these custom names and I was just thinking of finally making my business page public. You see, I had created a page for my “business” back in September of 2012, but had never uploaded anything, so it was just sitting there for months. But when I kept thinking of what I could possibly do for Mitchell, the only thing that popped in my mind was to create a custom name for him. I had read so much about him and had seen so many pictures; I already had TONS of ideas on how to make the name. 

(Here is my page. Check it out when you have time and show it some love!)

https://www.facebook.com/Mcreations1

         Now, another thing, for anyone that knows me well, knows that I tend to be extremely shy and doubtful of myself. Hence the reason it took me so long to actually start posting my stuff online. I had had this idea for a while, but I did not earn up the guts to message Mitchell’s dad, Chris, about it. I kept thinking they wouldn’t like the idea. I kept thinking I wouldn’t do a good job. I just kept thinking too much, and didn’t act on anything. Well, I just kept thinking and thinking, and didn’t tell anyone what was on my mind. I usually tell my husband everything, so the fact that I didn’t mention it to him meant how nervous I was about this idea.

         Sadly, a few weeks after I got this idea, Mitchell passed away. He passed away on March 2 and I had no idea that it had happened until 2 days after. I didn’t even find out through Facebook. I was actually visiting my mom and she mentioned it to me. She told me how it was on Facebook and a bunch of news stations were reporting on it as well since he lived here in Utah like us. I was just stunned. I told her that she must be mistaken because I had just seen his page a few days ago and he was alive. When I got home, I checked on my laptop and realized the sad truth and just cried my eyes out.

         Have you ever done that? Just cry and cry over a story because it touched your soul to its very core? Well, Mitchell did that to me. The way his father writes… the way he writes impacts me on such a spiritual level that when I read his posts, I just cannot hold back my tears. The idea of doing a name for Mitchell was still on my mind, but I had no idea how to ask Chris if I could.

         Well, I made my page public in March and started adding pictures of names I had done in the past. The response was wonderful and people were so nice about what I was doing. It felt amazing (and still does). But I could not shake this idea for doing Mitchell's name away. Every time I would go to Mitchell’s page (and by then, I “LIKED” the page), I would just always think of little Mitchell and how much I wanted to do something nice for his family, especially his mom.  

         On May 14, I was reading a post on Mitchell’s page titled “SAYING GOODNIGHT / SAYING GOODBYE”. It tugged at my heart in such a way that I knew I had to contact Chris and ask him if I could give them this gift. I decided to tell my husband about it first. My husband saw that I had definitely been thinking about it for quite some time. I must have been pretty transparent with how nervous I was, because my husband just tried to soothe my nerves by telling me I could do it, and I should do it. A few hours later, I messaged Chris.

         I wasn’t expecting a fast reply. After all, the instant he posts something, it gets hundreds, often thousand of comments and likes! I figured he would probably write back in about a week. If he doesn’t write back in a week, then I will send another message just to make sure he got my first one. And if that doesn’t work, then….

   
         So.. Yeah. I WAS NERVOUS if you didn’t already catch that. I had never done anything like 

this before, so I was excited/anxious/and very jumpy! I was eating dinner with my family that same 
night, when my phone notified me that I received a Facebook message. I checked it and saw that it 
was Chris replying back. I didn’t open it right away for fear that I would see something negative. But that couldn’t have been farther from the truth. He was so sincere and polite and ultimately gave me his blessing because he said he felt it would be a great gift to Mitchell’s mom, Natalie. 

Wow… Just…. Wow. 

         This whole time, I actually had been thinking of Mitchell’s mom and would cry each time I thought of how much she must be hurting. So, the fact that Chris mentioned how nice he thought it would be for Natalie just stunned me. I knew it was some sort of sign, and definitely a good sign. I couldn’t wait to get started on the name. I had told Chris that it takes me 2 weeks to finish a name but when I actually had gotten started with Mitchell’s name, my mind was a complete blank. What if I did something that they didn’t like? What if it just doesn’t look good??

 

AAAH, TOO MANY WHAT-IF’S!

         I had read that Mitchell loved Lego’s. That was it then, I would do a Lego theme! But I also read lots of times how much he loved Halo. Nah, a Halo theme would fit much better. But his father did mention multiple times how much he enjoyed four wheeling. Four wheeling it is then!

         Needless to say, this did not take me two weeks. It’s a little embarrassing to admit that, but I just wanted it to be perfect. And since this was a gift, I didn’t receive any specific ideas or tips on what kind of theme to choose. By the two-week mark, my mind was at a standstill.

         
         I don’t know what it was or how it hit me, but I was reading over some of the posts on Mitchell’s page, and again… 

*light bulb moment*

Family

         Mitchell loved his family more than anything in the whole wide world. And they adored him every day of his young life. I actually got teary eyed when it dawned on me that the perfect theme for Mitchell’s name was family. I knew exactly what to get and got started right away.

         I will admit that there were several times I cried while making his name. I kept thinking how much I wish I could hand it to Mitchell himself. Why didn’t I do this earlier? I wish I could have earned up the courage earlier.

         I don’t know if you believe in God, or in heaven. But I had several conversations with God during those days while making Mitchell’s name. I kept asking to please bless Mitchell’s family. I still couldn’t stop thinking of Natalie. I have two children of my own, so the thought of going through something like this just shatters my heart to pieces. I just can’t imagine not being able to see my children every day. To not be able to hug them anymore, or to just play with them. Chris and Natalie have done so much for me without even knowing it. Their strength just amazes me. Chris writes so beautifully and the way he has been able to capture Mitchell’s story and his journey is just perfect.

         More than a month had passed and finally, I wrote Chris and told him I had the name ready. I asked if I could drop it off or if we could meet up. He told me that they would be traveling to Baltimore and wouldn’t be able to pick it up until the following week. I was so ready to give them the name, that I said I would be able to drop it off later that same night if it worked with them. We agreed on a time and I was just so excited to finally give them the name.

         My husband agreed to drive me over to their home. It was about a half hour away from where we were but the instant my husband put the address in his GPS, I got so nervous and wanted to back out. 

“I’ll just tell him I can’t today” 

“I can wait to give it to them next week!” 

         I kept thinking of reasons to avoid giving them the name that night. But it was evident that my husband was not going to drive me anywhere else but to Chris and Natalie’s home. I had a good half hour to collect my many thoughts, and try to calm myself. Why was I so nervous? I seriously couldn't help it.

         As we were getting closer, I decided to pray to Mitchell. I told him everything that was on mind and I felt the most indescribably feeling. Something just soothed me. I mean, I was still a nervous wreck, but I no longer wanted to run home. We were getting closer and closer, and finally, we were right in front of their home.

Oh crap. I’m actually here. This is definitely not a dream. I’m actually doing this. 
… okay. Just breathe, Marilei.

         I got out of the car with the name in my hands and made my way to their front door. The thought of being on Mitchell’s drive way made my heart feel so heavy. I wasn’t even at their front door and I already wanted to cry! I kept walking and kept trying to focus on NOT crying. Crying isn’t a bad thing, but I just didn’t want to cry like some mad woman while handing them the name. I was trying so hard to contain my tears and my voice from shaking. Finally, I was at their front door. Natalie answered the door and my eyes wanted to swell up with tears.

Nope. You go away, you tears. Or at least wait a little bit, please.

         She welcomed and invited me in and said she would go and get Chris and that I could go into the living room. Right when I stepped foot in their home, I could see Mitchell’s angelic face everywhere. There are beautiful pictures of him on many of the walls. What a handsome little guy. As soon as I made it to their living room, I saw their coffee table and they had more pictures and photo albums of Mitchell. I couldn’t contain my tears and they flowed freely down my sad face. I wiped them away as fast as possible and heard footsteps coming from downstairs.

         Now, you may think that Natalie saw the name already, but she didn’t. I make it a point to hold the name backwards so that when I turn it around, I can see their face when they see the whole thing for the first time. Once Chris and Natalie were both in front of me, I turned it around and they immediately said they loved it. All of those silly thoughts of doubt that were in my head just fluttered away. I told them how nervous I had been and that the reason it took me so long to make is because I couldn’t decide how to design the name. Chris said, “It’s perfect. All the details are just perfect.” I don’t know if he would remember that, but I always will.

         They just kept saying thank you, and I also said thank you for allowing me to do this for them. I hugged them both and was going to leave soon after and that was right when Chris surprised me and asked if he could give me something. It took me a few seconds to realize exactly what he said, and then he was gone to grab whatever the something was. I stayed with Natalie and I again told her how nervous I was while making it but I was beyond glad that they liked it.

         Chris came back shortly after and handed me something that looked like a photo frame. As soon as I was turning it over to see what it was, Chris said, “I don’t know if you’re religious or not.” I turned it around and saw that it was a picture of Mitchell walking away from his wheelchair with someone that resembled Jesus. This picture has been posted on Mitchell’s Facebook page and I have admired it so.

         All those tears that I was trying so desperately to keep away came rushing back. I completely lost my composure. I cried because I felt Mitchell in the room with us, and I felt the love this beautiful family has for their little boy. But most of all, I cried because Chris had absolutely no idea how much I had been praying to God and praying to Mitchell these last few weeks. This picture was absolutely perfect. I could not stop crying and soon after they both started to cry along with me. I apologized and started to tell them how much I respected them and that they do so much for me and so many people all over the world. I don’t know if they understood everything I said since I was crying while trying to speak.

         While we were all crying, I gave them both another hug and said my good-byes. I walked out the door, holding that picture close to my heart and headed towards our car. Right when I saw my husband, I told him what happened and showed him what they gave me. He knew how much this meant to me, and he knew how much strength it took me to make this gift for Mitchell’s parents. Even though I was crying plenty, I felt so incredibly happy.
         On the drive home, I kept thinking of Mitchell and his sweet spirit. A tiny part of me still wished I could have given him the name while he was here with us. But I know he was with us in that room when I gave his parents the gift.

To Chris and Natalie, 
There are no words to describe how much I appreciate and respect you both. Thank you so much for welcoming me into your home and letting me share my talent with you in memory of your son. Mitchell has inspired millions of people, and I, like so many of them, just want to let you both know how much you are loved and cared for. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

And most importantly, thank you Mitchell. Thank you for listening to my prayers and thank you for giving me the strength that I so desperately asked for to go to your home and give them your name. I am very glad your parents liked it and I know you are happy with it as well. Watch over your family, little guy.

This is the name that I did for Mitchell. I had read that his favorite colors were yellow and purple. The designs on the letters M and H say "time well spent" and "cherish each moment". On the letter T, I put the word "prince", which I feel strongly describes sweet Mitchell. I put plenty of little details on this name and I am so glad I was able to give this to Chris and Natalie.

This is the framed photo that Chris gave me. I will treasure it always.