Lurie’s Children’s Hospital

It’s a Meaningful Life: Bedford’s Rare Diagnosis, Social Media Movement and Playground for All

There's a scene near the end of It's a Wonderful Life where the whole town of Bedford Falls empties its pockets to help George Bailey, not because they owe him anything, but because of everything he's quietly given them. When Hollie and Jesse Erickson named their youngest son Bedford, they had no idea how closely his own story would follow that same script.

On August 15, the Ericksons saw the deep impact of Bedford’s story come to full fruition when a brand-new inclusive playground opened at Grace Christian Academy in Kankakee, Illinois, just in time for 3-year-old Bedford's first year of preschool. It's a place built because several generous organizations and thousands of kind strangers were touched by Bedford’s story and agreed he deserved a play space fit for his unique abilities.

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