TexasEscapes.com 
HOME : : NEW : : TEXAS TOWNS : : GHOST TOWNS : : TEXAS HOTELS : : FEATURES : : COLUMNS : : BUILDINGS : : IMAGES : : ARCHIVE : : SITE MAP
PEOPLE : : PLACES : : THINGS : : HOTELS : : VACATION PACKAGES
Texas Escapes
Online Magazine
Texas Towns A - Z
Over 2600 Towns
Book Hotels
Texas Towns by Region
  • Texas Hill Country
  • Central Texas North
  • Central Texas South
  • South Texas
  • East Texas
  • West Texas
  • Texas Panhandle
  • Texas Gulf Coast
  • Texas Ghost Towns
    Over 700 Ghost Towns

    The Gift of Hannah

    by Bob Bowman
    Bob Bowman
    Any motorist who drove through Cherokee County during the last dozen or so months will remember roadside signs with a simple message, “Pray for Hannah.”

    Hannah was Hannah Collie of Alto, a brave little girl who touched the hearts of thousands of people while her own heart struggled to keep her alive.

    Her laughing eyes and quick smile left a remarkable legacy, not only in Cherokee County, but in East Texas and Dallas.

    Regrettably, Hannah lost her battle and passed away in September of 2009.

    But each December, on the eighth floor of the Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, where Hannah was a cardiac patient, thousands of children’s toys swamp the floor as people respond to a request by Hannah’s parents, Jason and Amanda Collie, who started the “Hannah’s Heart Toy Drive.”

    This year, the Collie family drove more than $2,200 worth of toys donated by people during one of the worst economic recessions in recent history.

    The gifts were piled so high in the Collie’s SUV that they could barely see out of the back window.

    For one family, that of Terrie Gonzalez, a writer for the Rusk Cherokeean-Herald, Hannah’s heart troubles brought back personal memories. Her own child Chris underwent a six-hour surgery at Children’s Medical Center to repair a thoracic birth defect.

    Two days before Chris’ surgery, he was taken to a toy room next to the recovery room and asked to pick out a special toy which would be waiting or him after he awoke from surgery.

    Chris picked out a toy car and asked for it as soon as he awoke from his surgery.

    Today, little Red Wagons are used to deliver toys donated in Hannah’s memory throughout the hospital. They are also used to transmit children to treatment rooms. Kids would much rather ride in a red wagon than a wheel chair.

    Bob Bowman's East Texas
    April 4, 2011 Column.
    A weekly column syndicated in 109 East Texas newspapers

    Related Topics:
    Stories From Texas' Past | Texas |
    (Bob Bowman of Lufkin is the author of almost 50 books on East Texas history and folklore. He can be reached at bob-bowman.com)
    Bob Bowman's East Texas >
    "All Things Historical" archive >

    Related Topics:

    East Texas
    Texas Towns
    Texas History
    Texas


    The Forgotten Towns of East Texas, Vol. I
    By Bob and Doris Bowman
    Custom Search
    ALL ABOUT TEXAS:
    Texas People
    PEOPLE
    Texas Places
    PLACES
    Things - Texas Attractions
    THINGS
    TEXAS ESCAPES CONTENTS
    HOME | TEXAS ESCAPES ONLINE MAGAZINE | HOTELS | SEARCH SITE
    TEXAS TOWN LIST | TEXAS GHOST TOWNS | TEXAS COUNTIES

    Texas Hill Country | East Texas | Central Texas North | Central Texas South | West Texas | Texas Panhandle | South Texas | Texas Gulf Coast
    TRIPS | STATES PARKS | RIVERS | LAKES | DRIVES | FORTS | MAPS

    Texas Attractions
    TEXAS FEATURES
    People | Ghosts | Historic Trees | Cemeteries | Small Town Sagas | WWII | History | Texas Centennial | Black History | Art | Music | Animals | Books | Food
    COLUMNS : History, Humor, Topical and Opinion

    TEXAS ARCHITECTURE | IMAGES
    Courthouses | Jails | Churches | Gas Stations | Schoolhouses | Bridges | Theaters | Monuments/Statues | Depots | Water Towers | Post Offices | Grain Elevators | Lodges | Museums | Rooms with a Past | Gargoyles | Cornerstones | Pitted Dates | Stores | Banks | Drive-by Architecture | Signs | Ghost Signs | Old Neon | Murals | Then & Now
    Vintage Photos

    TRAVEL RESERVATIONS | USA | MEXICO

    Privacy Statement | Disclaimer | Contributors | Staff | Contact TE
    Website Content Copyright ©1998-2011. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. All Rights Reserved
    This page last modified: April 4, 2011