As a top-secret birthday present for her special needs son who is unable to have a party, a Norwich mother is collecting as many birthday cards as she can for her son's 13th birthday
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All a Norwich mom wants is to provide a super-special 13th birthday for her son Andon Gatti, who lives with cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
“I’m doing this to give a 13-year-old boy the best birthday I can,” Janelle Penny-Gatti said. “If anyone gets to know Andon, their life will change. He’s such a special child.”
Describing her son as funny, loving and caring, Penny-Gatti said a birthday party would just be overwhelming for her son.
Andon’s cerebral palsy affects his right side and he is unable to use his right arm. He also wears a leg brace and has vision and some anxiety issues.
His classmates are from all over province, making it difficult to gather them up for his 13th birthday that he will celebrate on Dec. 12.
Instead, the Norwich mother of two came up with another idea for her son who loves superheroes and movies.
“He really, really, really likes mail,” she explained. “Everyday he asks me if he has gotten any.”
While he almost never gets mail, come Dec. 12, Penny-Gatti is planning a big surprise for her son.
On the Facebook page Cards for Andon, Penny-Gatti explains that a doctor recently told her that Andon likely won’t live an independent life and he has a cognitive delay.
“This completely threw us. We had dreams of him going to college, having a job, getting married and having a family. All things moms wish for their children,” she wrote. “We don't know what the future really holds, he has proved them wrong before. He walks and talks, things they said may not happen.”
After hearing the prognosis, a good friend suggested they make a big deal about milestones such as special birthdays and graduations.
“(We want to) make them big so he or we won't miss those other ones we wish he will have,” she wrote.
Penny-Gatti started by posting a request for birthday cards on her Facebook page, which was quickly shared 120 times.
In order to protect her privacy, her friend Jillian Vanden Beukel started Cards for Andon, a page totally devoted to the project.
Both women were surprised by how many people have since joined the group.
“I was thinking 300 people, 500 was a dream in my head,” Vanden Beukel said. “We now have 2,200.”
At first the attention was a bit much for the family, with people stopping on the street and offering other assistance beyond just sending a birthday card.
“We are very private people. I find it very overwhelming,” Penny-Gatti said.
But she said she is “very open about Andon.”
Penny-Gatti said she hopes the attention will raise awareness about children with special needs.
“I just want people to know any kid with a disability is still a kid,” she said. “They might have their ups and downs but usually they are happy. They might not hit milestones like other kids, but they have their own milestones.”
Penny-Gatti said since the Facebook page was started she has received huge support from the Norwich community. And to date they have collected 61 cards.
Andon’s sister, Julia, as well as her classmates at Emily Stowe, are also helping donate cards for the special day.
“I thank the community so much for being supportive,” she said. “A lot of families are going through what we are going through. We’re not special.”
Penny-Gatti said the family was also assisted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and are grateful to the charity that allowed them to take a special trip.
Andon will open his cards on Dec. 12, and until then they are hoping to keep it top secret.
“Andon knows nothing about it,” she said. “He will know on Dec. 12.”
Birthday cards can be sent to:
Andon Gatti, PO Box 1118, Norwich ON Canada
N0J 1P0