The loss of a child is never easy but one family is using the memory of their son to brighten the lives of children throughout the area.
Thursday afternoon at Portneuf Medical Center, members of the Saville family gathered to honor Gabriel Grant. Little Gabe passed away suddenly on July 12, 2010. He was just 17-months-old. During his short life, Gabe learned to love story time and books. After his passing his mother and father, Amy and David, started Books from Gabriel, an annual book drive to bring the gift of reading to children staying in area hospitals. Amy says this year has been there best yet with over 2,500 books donated.
“It's great to have the support of the community and to make this week bearable,” said Amy. “Today, Gabe would have been three and so this week is a tough week anyway. To have that much support and get that many books is overwhelming, it's really awesome.”
The Saville's donated 200 books to Portneuf Thursday and will be getting books to kids up and down the I-15 corridor. Amy says their story has touched the hearts of people nationwide.
“I do a blog, so lots of people (have donated),” Amy said. “I have a friend in Oklahoma who mailed us 200 books and gave us $75 to buy books and some other people donated on PayPal.”
And Anita Heaney, Director of Women and Children’s Services at Portneuf says these books will be able to bring cheer to a number of children.
“We're going to use them for any opportunity we can,” said Heaney. “Whether the child's in the hospital, or they're a sibling, or a visitor, we're going to share these books and hopefully help their experience in the hospital be a better experience.”
While Amy is still grieving the loss of her child, she says there is no better way to honor little Gabe’s memory.
“I want people to know him. One of my biggest fears is that no one will know who he is because he's not here,” Amy said. “This is my way to make sure people know him, they know he was here, they know he was important to us, to know this project means the world to us.”
The Saville's said they plan on continuing the book drive as long as possible. For more information on the Books from Gabriel drive and the Saville family, you can head over to the family’s
blog.
