Even to this day, she still squeals with delight as she climbs into her bed each night. Since the first
Bella Bed was made, The Joinery has built 5 similar beds for children with special needs. They are the
initiators and strong supporters of this project and will continue to be building the Bella Beds as funds are
made available.
Kristy nominated Marc and The Joinery for the KATU Channel 2 News Everyday Hero Segment. Marc was
selected to win the award and the segment aired in January 2011. Click on this link to watch the telecast.
A viewer of the segment contacted The Joinery offering to contribute financially to the next Bella Bed, and
this was the beginning of the Bella Fund.
Knowing how Bella’s bed made such a difference in her life, it’s our goal to continue to to provide these
specialty Bella Beds for other families of children with special needs.
The Bella Fund was started with a sweet little ‘fairy’ named Mirabella. ‘Bella’
was diagnosed at 18 months with a rare syndrome that includes global
development delays and seizures. The seizures and her lack of understanding
that she could fall, made it impossible for Bella to sleep alone in a standard
bed. In order to safely contain her at bedtime, a physical therapist suggested
she sleep in a tent. Cute as it was, that arrangement was not a long term
solution.
Bella’s mother Kristy, spent months of research looking for a suitable bed.
Praying every night for a solution, God gave Kristy, as well as many other
families who struggle with this, an answer.
Kristy was referred to The Joinery in Portland, Oregon thinking that they
might be able to build a bed that would be safe for Bella. She emailed the
then owner Marc, and the next day was in contact with him and his staff.
Plans for the first ever Bella Bed were quickly in the works. A generous
donation from the Wheel to Walk Foundation was granted to help with the
cost of designing and building this specialty bed. Bella received her fabulous
bed one week before Christmas 2006.
