Lauren Doyle and Carlita Pounder have been friends since they were just four years old. So it makes sense that whatever affects one affects the other, and both know exactly what to do to bring a much-needed smile to the other’s face.
That’s exactly what Lauren needed last month, after an especially ill-timed double whammy right around Christmas.
On December 23, her beloved grandmother passed away, suddenly and unexpectedly, from cardiac arrest at the young age of 73. Then Lauren, who’s battling sepsis, was hospitalized just days later, following complications from a recent surgery.
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Friends often go out of their way for each other during times of crisis, everything from delivering meals and helping to tidy the house to simple, quiet visits designed solely for companionship.
But what Carlita did for Lauren during her time of need was so incredibly thoughtful and creative, it’ll bring you to tears.
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She went to a nearby Build-A-Bear and selected a plush, cream-colored bear, selecting as its special outfit a red dress — Lauren’s grandmother’s favorite color. She added another personal touch by naming the bear “Babbylicious,”Lauren’s pet name for her grandmother.
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But the most personal touch was only revealed when Carlita instructed her friend to touch the bear’s paw. In the days after her grandmother passed away, Lauren found a voicemail message that she’d left in early December, and forwarded it to her best friend.
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So when Carlita was in the process of creating her gift, she got one of the Build-A-Bear employees to include that recording inside the voice box. When Lauren pressed the bear’s paw, this is what she heard:
“Hiya Lauren, it’s only Nana,”Babbylicious says in Barbara’s voice. “Just calling to see if you’re ok, pet. I’ll give you a ring later on. Ta-ra love. Love you, bye.â€
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My whole family said that everything I would want to hear she says in that little recording, it’s just crazy.
It was emotional hearing it on my phone after she passed away – it was better hearing her voice coming from the bear rather than the phone.
It felt more comforting, I was happy crying listening to it. I hadn’t had time to acknowledge my nana dying, I hadn’t started to grieve, and that just pushed me over the edge.
Watch these lifelong friends share the incredibly heart-warming moment in the clip below, and remember to share with someone you know who has an especially close relationship with a grandmother!
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