"Warm" and "fuzzy" aren't two adjectives typically associated with creepy Halloween decor, but those are the exact feelings social media users around the world caught when they learned of how one Ohio family's skeleton crew provided a much-needed distraction for a cancer patient.
Bill Pyles and his family, who live just outside of Oxford, Ohio, have decorated their home for Halloween for years, collecting skeletons over time and displaying them in various scenarios throughout the season.
At first, the Pyleses had a family of five-foot skeletons displayed in their yard, but the boney family has grown and now includes some members up to 12 feet in height.
And while the family knew their Halloween spirit brought joy to many passersby, one fan of the display wrote a letter to the family letting them know how much the growing skeleton family has meant to her during her battle with cancer.
In an interview with Fox19 Now, Pyles said he received a letter in his mailbox, and his first thought was that it was a "nastygram" complaining of the outdoor decor.
But when he opened the letter, he found an unexpectedly poignant note from Tammy Weihe.
It read:
“I’ve been driving past your house for the past 19 days on my way to radiation."
"A highlight of my journey has been checking to see who else has joined the Bone family and what they’re up to."
"Thankfully, Wednesday, Sept. 11, is my final radiation treatment, though I may need to continue driving by once in a while to see what’s new."
"Thanks for the diversion, Tammy"
cheza_mononoke/Reddit
Weihe told Fox19:
“There’s skeletons washing the car."
“You’d see oh, they have a dog, well we have a dog."
"Making those connections matter.”
On Wednesday, September 11, Weihe drove past the skeleton family on the way to her final radiation treatment and found an encouraging display just for her, complete with skeletons holding signs of encouragement and an invitation to take a selfie with them.
cheza_mononoke/Reddit
Weihe shared:
“Today as we zipped by, it said, 'Good Job! You made it!'"
“We stopped after treatment and got some pictures."
"It was very touching.”
You can watch the story below.
- YouTubeyoutu.be
Viewers of the heartwarming story were touched by the kind gestures from both Weihe and Pyles.
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And many took the opportunity to congratulate Weihe on finishing her treatment.
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Pyles said he's planning on keeping the skeletons up until one week after Halloween.
We can't wait to see what they're up to next!