The people who just want to make your kid happy

I've been walking around with this big ball of gratitude in my heart for the last few days. I'm still overwhelmed by all the kindness that came our way on the day of Max's birthday party. It started, as you may have seen, with some of his beloved local firefighters giving him a ride in a fire truck to his party. And then it just kept on going.

There are many people on Team Max enabling his physical and cognitive abilities. And then there are the people who've cropped up to enhance his levels of joy. In recent months, people have sent Max a real firefighter hat (thanks, Morris!); firefighter caps (thanks, Sally!); firefighter shirts (thanks, Sondra!); a firefighter drawing (thanks, Chloe!) and firefighter patches (thanks, Justin). And if I've unintentionally left anyone out, THANKS. It takes a village to nourish a child's obsession. Seriously, I've been touched by the people who want to make Max happy. And that makes me all kinds of happy, too.

Sabrina, Grandma Tina, Uncle Steve and my sis, Aunt Judy, did all the set-up—including hanging a photo of Max and his favorite firefighter, Angelo

Aunt Judy and Uncle Steve in the requisite party hats

Diane Quiroga of Art Talks LLC, an amazingly creative and super-nice art therapist and mental health consultant who's known Max since he was little, went above and beyond to find projects for the party. Kids jammed modeling clay into plastic fire engine molds to make trucks. They sprayed paint onto paper with mini fire extinguishers. They took home little crayons shaped like fire trucks and firefighter hats.

The hit of the party: Flying Wish Paper. They're these little squares that resemble tissue paper; you write a wish on them, crumble them, open them up, roll them around a finger, light them on fire and then they rocket up. Supposedly they are safe to use indoors, though maybe not if you are a hoarder.



Afterward, everyone had pizza. The kids did a little dancing, and made a train around the room. Then we broke out the cake, fit for an aspiring firefighter.

At first the Carvel lady wasn't sure she'd be able to fit the entire message, but....

Yep, I found a fire truck piñata

After all that giddiness, Max announced "Let's go!" and led the group over to the fire station across the street. The guys knew he'd be bringing the party over. Max showed everyone around, pointing out the different trucks. Firefighter Angelo drove his favorite, Tower 31, onto the driveway.

The guys taped the sign we made onto the truck, with the same message that was on the cake (in case anyone had forgotten from five minutes before): "I want to be a fireman when I grow up."

The kids took turns "driving" the truck

Then Firefighter Angelo suggested that Max do an "inspection" of the truck and walk around it. Perched on the back was a big box. Inside was a real firefighter jacket with "Fireman Max" imprinted on the back, firefighter pants with suspenders, a firefighter hat with a visor, firefighter boots and a yellow firefighter flashlight. Max was so dazzled he was dazed. 

He's official now

As if all THAT wasn't enough, Firefighter Angelo knows how much Max loves the ladder part of the truck, so he went up in it as everyone watched in awe.

 

Max helped lower the ladder down

I thanked the firefighters again and again. Max thanked them and gave fist bumps and hugs. We drove home. Only the goodness wasn't over just yet. Grandpa Phil broke out his gift. He knows a higher-up at the Fire Department of New York and told him about Max. That man put out a call to fire stations around the city for badges;  he collected sixty.

I think they'd look cool on a quilt. Anybody sew?!

Max being Max, he asked if I could please repeat the same birthday celebration next year. Me being me, I wasn't sure how I'd ever be able to repay all that goodness. And the firefighters? Just, wow. Any one of the things they did would have been plenty.

The jacket has its own honorary kitchen chair

The day after, I mentioned that to my friend Jeannie. She noted, "It made the firefighters feel really good to do that for Max." I knew she was right. When I was gushing to Chief Joe about the day I said, "Thanks for all you do for Max." And he said, "Thanks for sharing Max with us."