MR. SANDMAN is our "angel pony," twice
assigned to be the best friend of a terminally ill child.
It is a sad fact that some of our children
are terminally ill, and though we always give the highest priority to
getting a pony to these families, sometimes no matter how hard we try,
a child may die before receiving a pony. In this touching story, State
Directors Kim Harvel of Tennessee and Tammy Teter of Michigan, went to
heroic lengths to get just the right pony to a little girl with a
terminal brain tumor.
This is a story about a little girl and her
greatest wish--AND about a most special pony, Mr. Sandman. It is told
by PPL volunteer, Tammy Teter.
Sandman begins his PPL career
 In the fall of 2000,
I received an email from
a wonderful lady here in Michigan. Marcia had learned about the
Personal Ponies program from our website and had a little gelding she
felt would be perfect for our program. She was convinced that he would
be one of the truly special ponies in the program, a prophecy he has
more than fulfilled.
I brought Sandman to my farm and he quickly became
a valuable part of the program here in Michigan. Whether standing for
hours with children who came to visit, or traveling on promotional
outings, Sandman was up for any task asked of him. And because he is
white from the tip of his nose right down to his "toes," I spent a lot
of time brushing and grooming him before events. To pass the time I
would sing to him an old song from the 50's, "Mr. Sandman, bring me a
dream..." He seemed to always know what would follow--children! I could
tell that he looked forward to these events and I was soon convinced
that Sandman would always be a part of the program here in Michigan.
An unexpected change
In May of 2001, Kim Harvel, PPL's Tennessee State
Director, posted a note to the PPL chat list expressing a need for a
companion pony for a little girl with a terminal brain tumor who wanted
a white pony because "angels are white in heaven where I am going."
Before I could think another thought, I was on the phone with Kim
making arrangements to travel Sandman to Arkansas.
At 4:00pm on June 30th, 2001, I sang through my
tears one last time to this little white pony who would travel to his
most important assignment. I would miss him more than I imagined.
When I met Kim in southern Illinois, I learned
that Krista had been hospitalized the day before. Kim took Sandman to
the hospital the day after he arrived and Krista was wheeled to the
window so she could see HER pony for the first time. Kim then gave
Krista a photo of her pony to keep with her until she was well enough
to come home and be with him. She treasured that photo and I waited for
the exciting news that she had been able to go home and be with her new
pony.
Sandman's work is done...
On July 22, I opened my email from the PPL chat
list. There it was, an email from Kim. I was so anxious that I hardly
noticed the subject line, "Sandman's work is done..."
Tammy,
Sandman's work with Krista has come to a
tragic end. Krista went to Heaven last night while lying in her mom's
lap holding a picture of her "angel horse." With a tear filled voice,
her mom asked me to pass on these words:
"To the lady who was so generous to allow
her pony to go so far away from home, we will always be grateful! The
last few days of Krista's young life were greatly enriched by your
generosity. The smiles on her face every time her pony was mentioned
was worth more than any amount of money in the world. You are an angel!
Krista lived such a short life. She had
just turned seven in March, but taught us so much in her short time. I
wish you could have met her. I hope you will continue the work with
letting kids like Krista have some happy days...you know how to do it.
I'm sorry if this makes no sense right now, but hope you know you will
always be in our hearts. God bless you and all of the PPL program."
Postscript: Sandman's new job
Like all of our ponies, when one job ends,
another soon begins. Soon after Krista died, Kim was contacted by
another family who had a little boy with the same condition. They had
heard about Sandman and asked if he was available for their son. We
were, of course, happy to help and today Sandman is "best friend" to a
new child.
Tammy Teter lives in
Michigan and is a PPL breeder. Though Tammy has retired as state
director, she now serves as Director of the PPL Shetland Register and
is also our United Kingdom Shetland Historian. If you would like to
contact her, you can call her at (616) 764-1506 or email her at
TETER@cybersol.com.
THANKS, Tammy, for all that you do!
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