The story behind Bell's Bellini

Oh, my girl! She is full of sparkle and sass, and sometimes I want to kick her axx! But I love her to pieces, and she has brought so much sunshine to our lives, more so than I could have ever imagined. She is my last child, of 3. She is the baby, 13 years later I started again. I honestly was super lax about becoming pregnant since I didn't think I could have any more kids, trying multiple times over the previous 8-9 years before she was born. And then, wouldn't you know it, it all aligned, and I was bringing home a Hawaiian souvenir the summer of 2009. My aunt said most people just bring home pineapples, but well, I've always been a little different, soo.... haha

I would dive right into the tea part itself, but to understand her donation that she chose I will tell you the whole story... So get cozy, relax, get your cup of Bell's Bellini for full effect and I will share her story.

I had felt like I waited forever for my baby girl to arrive, and she took her sweet time being 9 days late! And then whoosh, she arrived in a flash, literally, her entire birth beginning to end was less than an hour. That's another story in itself but I will spare those horrific details. That evening she was whisked off to Seattle Children's Hospital as it turns out she was born with Esophageal atresia which means the baby's esophagus hasn't finished developing. It doesn't connect to her stomach, so should couldn't swallow or eat. The milk from her first feeding had spilled back into her lungs and luckily Dr. Barr who trained at Children's had seen the rare, but thank goodness, not fatal condition. Within hours she was in surgery and recovering in the NICU at Children's Hospital. Thy said she was the biggest baby they had seen in the NICU since often they are preemies and she was a whooping 9 lbs! Yeah try to shoot that out in less than an hour, it doesn't end well.

Anyway, I remember everyone who came to see her, I saved all of their name tags! I was so grateful for my family and supportive friends. She was like a little angel with her fair skin and pretty much white hair. My friend DeAnn said it looks like you all stole her! For her first year we had multiple visits to children's and had to carefully introduce her to feeding since she often ate slow at first and choked on EVERYTHING! I swear even milk!

When she was younger, I would often feel overwhelmed with emotion, as if a heavy weight was on my heart and in my throat at the mere mention of Children's Hospital. Even though our stay was only two weeks and we were reassured that everything would be fine, we simply needed time. It was hard going home after giving birth to collect things, etc. and not bringing a baby with. It's hard to fathom the challenges that numerous children and their families must endure when confronted with a serious illness or life-threatening situation. My heart aches for them.

During her time in grade school, she received a letter from Seattle Children's Hospital requesting donations, which made her eager to contribute. I allowed her to send the change she had saved, and we mailed it to the hospital. To our surprise, they responded with a letter sharing a story of someone else who had been helped. I found it admirable that, despite her small contribution, they took the time to respond. She remembered this always and it was no surprise she chose Seattle Children's Hospital to receive a donation for the sales of Bell's Bellini.

During our conversation about the Legacy Foods concept, I inquired about her thoughts on ideal tea flavors. She mentioned raspberries, which sparked a thought that I have always had of a peach cake with light raspberry frosting, reminiscent of a peach Bellini topped with a raspberry. The addition of spicy crystallized ginger would provide a touch of sweetness and spiciness to the mix, reflecting her own personality.

Today, Sarabella is a young lady embarking on her high school journey. She successfully recovered from her surgery and is doing well. It was later revealed that her paternal grandmother had faced a similar issue at birth, a fact previously unknown to us. We have recounted to her the story of her birth, the people who were present, and the memories associated with it multiple times and the fact that during this extremely stressful time I was not burdened with bills, what wasn't covered I did not have to worry about. That is a huge blessing. She is my blessing, she is full of love and life; strong willed with a little sweet and a little sass. She's my girl, my Rory, my love.

Bell's Bellini

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