Parents Are Trying to Track Down the Grieving Couple Who Gave Their Daughter a Gold Ring at Disney World
Kara and Kyle Geiselman are on a mission to track down a grieving couple who touched their lives in an amazing way. The Massachusetts family was vacation at Disney World this past Halloween when their 4-year-old Belle had a chance encounter with the couple who offered her a gold ring. The symbolism behind the ring and Belle's path has touched the Geiselmans'—and the whole internet's—hearts.
Kara wrote on Facebook, in a now-viral post, that it was on their second day at Disney, while visiting the Hollywood Studios park, that Belle almost ran directly into the couple. "The couple stopped in their tracks, and Kyle apologized to them for her carelessness," the mom recalled. "The woman then looked at her husband and asked Kyle if Belle liked gold. Confused Kyle said yes. She then asked if they could gift Belle something. Kyle said of course."
The couple then told Belle's dad that they were at Hollywood Studios to mark the one-year anniversary of their late daughter’s Make-a-Wish trip. "On their initial trip, they had bought two gold Mickey Mouse rings, one for their daughter and one to gift to a child who in their words, 'was adorable like their little girl,'" Kara noted. "Moved beyond belief that they chose our daughter to memorialize their daughter with, Kyle was at a loss for words. He wanted to tell them so much, that he was sorry for their insurmountable loss and about our own little warrior but in the moment only 'thank you' came out."
Kara elaborated, "The fact that they choose Belle without knowing her struggles in life brings tears to my eyes. They didn’t know that we were back at the place where our daughter surprised us all and starting eating by mouth for the first time at 18 months old, or that this trip was the first time she traveled to Disney without needing a feeding tube for nourishment or an Oxygen mask on the flight. This little gold Mickey Mouse ring will forever be kept as a priceless gift and always cherished."
Kyle told NBC 10 News that due to twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, Belle was born prematurely at 30 weeks and 5 days. The news outlet reports that she then spent 126 days in the NICU, fighting to breathe and eat, and also required a feeding tube for a year and a half after her birth.
“Belle came out like a ghost and Milly came out like a tomato,” Kyle said. “They were both born with a lot of issues, some the same, some different. Belle was born with chronic lung disease. Both needed assistance breathing early on. They started to get better but she was growing faster than her lungs were developing, so her condition actually got better and then got worse.”
The path that Belle has tread made her chance encounter with this couple even more incredible and moving.
Kara's post about the emotional moment quickly racked up 1.3K shares and 1.4K reactions. The Geiselmans now aim to re-connect with the grieving couple who gifted their daughter, thank them properly, and tell them what the gesture meant to them. With hope, their viral post will allow them to do just that.
Illustration by Parents Staff; Alamy (1); Getty Images (1)
