The only thing Janae loves more than her slow globe collection is people, both friends and strangers.
Born with a rare genetic disorder called Williams syndrome, Janae has experienced developmental and physiological challenges, including two open-heart surgeries before the age of 15. People with this disorder are known to be extremely friendly, and that couldn’t be truer of this sweet teen.
“It is by far her ‘special ability,’ although medically it is classified as a disability,” said her aunt, Stefanny Avera.
Children with Williams syndrome tend to prefer interacting with others rather than playing with toys, but that changed when Janae’s grandparents gave her a slow globe when she was a little girl. Seeing how much Janae loved her slow globe inspired her family to collect them for her. Over the years, her collection grew and grew, and she proudly displayed them on a shelf in her bedroom.
It was a gorgeous display, but it seems that the shelving eventually couldn’t take all the weight. While Janae was in bed one night, she awoke to a horrible crashing sound. Her snow globes had fallen off, shattering all but three of them.
“I was on the phone at the time with her mom and I heard her just bawling,” Stefanny said. “She was so worried that everyone would be upset that they broke and that she’d never get new ones.”
Wanting to help her niece, Steffany turned to their neighbors through an app called Nextdoor. She hoped she could find at least a few people who had slow globes they were willing to either sell at an affordable price or simply give away.
“I expected to get maybe a dozen for her to start,” Stefanny said. “It blew up.”
Dozens of slow globe donations came pouring in, each with its own story. One had a Disney theme and was donated by a woman who received it during her first job at Disney World. An especially large donation came from a traveling nurse. She had collected snow globes from all across the U.S., and she gave the entirety of her collection over to Janae.
Janae also received a special donation from a woman whose sister passed away 12 years ago from cancer. The three slow globes she donated were originally her sister’s, and she felt that giving them to Janae was “the perfect opportunity to move forward and let her love for them move on.”
“We were told many times it was therapeutic to be a part of it all,” Stefanny said.
There were people who told us entire stories about lost loved ones who also collected, people whose children collected them too and heard her story and gifted her some from their collection, people who had loved ones with special needs and love being a part of gifting Janae one.
Since reaching out for help, this family has received 86 snow globes from six different states. Needless to say, Janae is over the moon that so many people have shown her so much love.
“I’m just happy and blessed to have been given them,” Janae said.
Watch the teen spot her new snow globes for the first time in the video below, and don’t forget to share this uplifting story.
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.