Justin Bono was elected to the Richardson ISD on Saturday, May 10, and the following Monday his daughter, Sadie, had surgery to improve craniofacial abnormalities caused by Pfeiffer Syndrome. During her hospitalization, neighbors and friends decorated her street and yard so that her return home would be welcoming. When I saw her, the excited child was hopping about from one leg to the other imitating the flock of flamingos perched on her lawn.
“Sadie has been through so much in her short, sweet life with multiple surgeries,” said Blythe Layne, organizer of the effort. “After a surgery of this magnitude, [mom] Debbie had prepared us that there would be a great deal of healing. Our neighborhood wanted them to know when they drove back into the neighborhood after she was released from the hospital that this is their safe place, and they are so loved.”
“There is such a sense of community here,” said Kelle Shanks, who attended Northlake Elementary and graduated from LHHS in 1981. “We support each other and are close friends with our neighbors. We felt it was important for the Bonos to know that they were not alone during this difficult surgery, that we were all pulling for them and sending our love. They are a lovely family and such a part of our neighborhood.”
Recruiting neighbors to participate was easy, says Layne.
“I simply planted a seed with an email to ten friends, and before we knew it, the idea had grown into more than we ever imagined. Friends shared with friends and, all of a sudden, there weren’t just signs but ribbons, bows, balloons and even the LHHS flock of flamingos! Signs were delivered from Sadie’s current class from Lake Highlands Elementary and there was a sign made with signatures of her upcoming Kindergarten classmates from Moss Haven saying ‘Welcome Home Sadie.’ I was born and raised in Lake Highlands, and this is exactly why I and so many others move back. To be a part of a community that is so loving and supportive of each other is such a blessing. The sign that says ‘Sadie is our hero’ sums it up. She really is.”
If you’d like to see the signs for yourself, go north on Club Glen from Whitehurst. Can’t miss ‘em.
