Danny Boy: Purest of Hearts

By Mary K Snyder

What was supposed to be a day at the park with my son ended up to be the day that would change the course of so many lives, some for the worst, and some for the better. Instead of giving him a bath before bed I was watching him fight for his life. As the years unfolded I discovered the true meaning of love, faith, struggle, fear, and most of all hope. I had a front row seat to watch life’s unpredictability, a crash course in the delicacy life holds for all of us. Out of tragedy the perfect person was reborn. A person who only knew how to truly enjoy life and what it had to offer good or bad. There was no agenda, no hate, no greed, or dishonesty; just love. This story is about the journey my son took us on. Only a person with a pure heart can carry those who hold money and power over humanity. It is a story of a boy, who was able to make a difference without money, fame or social media. He made a difference with his ability to bring people together, to overcome adversity and political abuse. Abuse that unfortunately exists in a corrupt system that we are all a part of. It is a journey of love, lies, deception and triumph. Through this journey this book was born.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Mar 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9798765238882

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Copyright © 2023 Mary K Snyder.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

All scriptures in this book were taken from the Hard-Cover Holy Bible New Living Translation 2004-2007

ISBN: 979-8-7652-3887-5 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-7652-3889-9 (hc)

ISBN: 979-8-7652-3888-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023902413

Balboa Press rev. date: 03/08/2023

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1 The Beginning

Chapter 2 My First Love

Chapter 3 The Arrival Of My Baby Boy

Chapter 4 The Accident

Chapter 5 The Hospital

Chapter 6 The Turnaround

Chapter 7 Vincent

Chapter 8 Baby Girl

Chapter 9 Two Little Boys

Chapter 10 Teacup Girl

Chapter 11 The Awakening

Chapter 12 End Of Rehab

Chapter 13 Daniel’s Strong Will To Recover

Chapter 14 Baby’s Arrival

Chapter 15 Back Home

Chapter 16 The Start Of The System

Chapter 17 The Move

Chapter 18 Daniel’s Surgery

Chapter 19 Daniel’s Wish

Chapter 20 Another New Beginning

Chapter 21 Tragedy Strikes

Chapter 22 Another Bombshell

Chapter 23 A Rollercoaster Of Emotions

Chapter 24 A Mother’s Worst Nightmare

Chapter 25 Holding On To Hope

Chapter 26 What Happened To Compassion?

Chapter 27 Hope Finally Arrived

Chapter 28 Daniel Leaving

Chapter 29 Alone

Chapter 30 Missing You

Chapter 31 The Medium

Chapter 32 My New Life

Best Friend’s Memorial Letter to Daniel

School Project Written by my Grandson Matthew to his Uncle Danny

Caution! Caution!

Conclusion

Final Scripture

THIS BOOK IS

DEDICATED TO MY SON

DANIEL, MY FOREVER HERO

"The angel appeared to him and said,

‘Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!’"

(Judges 6:12)

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DANNY BOY–PUREST OF HEARTS

A YOUNG BOY STRUGGLES TO SURVIVE

ADVERSITY AFTER A LIFE CHANGING TRAUMA

"Love never gives up, never loses

faith, is always hopeful,

and endures through every circumstance."

(1 Corinthians 13:7)

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TOGETHER

For the times in your life

You are feeling alone

Take hold of my hand

And I will bring you back home

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To my son Daniel, you have been and forever will be my strength, courage, support system, and most all my passion to move forward in writing this book. Your love and loyalty over the years has made me a changed woman. My years with you were the greatest times in my life. Although you have faced so much adversity, obstacles, and challenges, I am honored we went on this journey together as a team. I love you more than life, and I am privileged to be your mother. Love, Ma.

To my daughter Laura, who needs a halo over her head for putting up with me throughout all of her growing years. I love you for all of your sacrifices you made on your brother’s behalf and being his lifeline when you had so many of your own challenges to deal with - and boy, were they challenges. Your brother loves you so much. Always carry that in your caring heart. You are a gift of a daughter, mother, sister, and a friend to all you touch. Anybody would be proud and privileged to have you in their lives. Thank you for all of your input for helping me in writing this book; I couldn’t have done it without you. Laura, I am so proud of all of your accomplishments and achievements, including your RN-Bachelor’s degree, and working towards your Master’s in Science. I love you forever, Mom.

To my four grandchildren Daniel, Matthew, Krista, and Ryan, thank you for being there for your Uncle Daniel and sharing so many great memories with him. He adored you all for always being there for him. I will always be there for you. I love you for your patience and understanding, especially when I was not always the best to be around. You are my heroes and inspiration on my journey with Uncle Dan.

To my husband TJ, you always told me no matter how tough things have become or will become, I should never give up and to pick my battles wisely. Thank you for the years of taking care of Daniel & Laura as if they were your own. To them, you were their father. They loved you and respected you. I promise you I will never give up on taking care of the family.

To Paula, Mom #2, for the times you spent with Daniel, and your love & commitment in his time of need. Thank you for the days and hours you spent and sacrificed for him. He really loved you. They say that commitment comes out of love, and you certainly fit the bill. Although there were times we had our differences, your love for him was not one of them. You were his rock and shared beautiful times together with him. In his eyes and heart, you earned the title of Mom #2. That will never be forgotten.

A special shout out to my grandson Ryan for all your patience in stepping up to the plate in helping me write this book, in your Uncle Danny’s memory. Love, Nana and Uncle Danny.

To Carissa, Daniel’s best girlfriend for always being there for him. He truly loved you, and so do Laura and I.

You are a gem of a human being.

To Debbie, for sending me to the medium. You changed my life at the time when I was at my very lowest.

To God, Lord Jesus, and Mother Mary for guiding me back to church, the bible, and scripture.

INTRODUCTION

The real lesson to be learned in our journey in life is all about love, hope, and faith. These teaching tools are how we can deal and overcome life’s adversity, challenges, and obstacles that cross our paths. When they come into our lives, they can be looked at in a positive or negative way. I wish I could say that my son’s and my experiences were all positive, but they were not. The truth is, some were hell and back and back to hell again. Despite this, there were many positives that came with joy and happiness. The negatives came with pain and grief. As long as you have love, hope, and faith, you can overcome many bumps in the road. Never give up on your loved ones.

Many times throughout my life, I asked, Why do bad things happen to good people? I still have no answer, at least not the one that I am looking for. I came to my own realization and believe it is all in God’s plan. While we are here on Earth, it is our responsibility to protect our loved ones, children, and adults, who are in and out of the system being subjected to abuse and neglect. This includes children living in unstable homes, group homes for the disabled, nursing homes for the elderly, foster care, child care, healthcare, homeless, schools, and even church - we must be their voice. My strength came from my son Daniel, daughter Laura, and my husband TJ, along with the endurance and courage to continue on my journey to write this book for public awareness concerning safety.

"My suffering was good for me,

for it taught me to pay attention

to your degrees. Your instructions

were more valuable to me than

millions in gold and silver."

(Psalm 119:71-72)

Chapter 1

THE BEGINNING

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THE YEAR IS 1947. I was the last born into a family of twelve from Brooklyn, NY; four brothers, six sisters, my mother, and father. My mother’s first-born Alexander passed away at twelve weeks old due to blood poisoning from an unclean instrument used during circumcision. The age difference between my siblings and I was years apart; most of my siblings were already married by the time I reached elementary school.

At age 9, my father passed away from rectal cancer. He was a great father and provider, as well as someone who first showed me what true courage was by living in the face of cancer. My mother was also strong, powering through the time of his illness and taking care of him until his passing. The night my father passed, I was in the next room and could hear him moaning in such pain that I asked God to please take him up to heaven to end his suffering. Even though I wanted my father to stay so badly, I loved him enough to know that it was time for him to leave. That night, my prayers were answered. After my father’s passing, my world fell apart. My mother, by no fault of her own, became very depressed and lost. This all left me at the hands of my older brother’s wrath.

My older brother by this time had left home and was married. He made weekly home visits to check on things. Instead of comforting me during what was by that point the worst time of my life, he became my bully. My father, who was my protector, was gone now and the rest of my siblings were completely clueless to what was going on. That did not change the fear I felt whenever he came home on his visits.

As I grew older, I yearned for my life back from