Holiday inflatables are a big part of Christmas decor, and plenty of households choose to buy a few to celebrate the season. But usually, homes include just one or two. There's rarely 100 of them out there, since that could get a little time-consuming.
The Steinhauser family views inflatables a little differently. After 11-year-old Dominic Steinhauser fell in love with this type of display, they figured it'd be the perfect way to brighten his holiday spirits. Dominic suffers from a rare disorder that makes his life a little harder than the average kid. It's called CHARGE Syndrome.
According to Genetics Home Reference, CHARGE stands for coloboma, heart defects, atresia choanae, retardation in growth, genital abnormalities, and ear abnormalities. It's very uncommon, but usually requires a lot of different surgeries and procedures. For children, it can be even scarier. That's why Dominic's parents offered to buy him a Christmas inflatable. That is, if he managed to keep his cool for a particular procedure.
Soon, even more were added to the collection.
"So he’s always been obsessed with inflatables, so I said to him, 'If you do really good and don’t cry, I’ll get you an inflatable,'" Dominic's mom, Deanna Steinhauser, told TODAY. As expected, Dominic was thrilled to see an inflatable right after his procedure. His mom even brought it to the hospital with her.
Dominic was so excited that Deanna made sure to mention it on Facebook. But in that post, she reportedly stated that the inflatable was just "one of 100" that Dominic would have enjoyed. And that's when the community took action — since they knew it brought him such happiness, they literally gifted over 100 new Christmas inflatables.
The inflatables were first reported on last year. But Deanna has made sure the display would keep on going, since as she told ABC 7, they have helped keep her son strong. "I'm convinced that these small things are huge and have kept him healthy," she said. "I really want to believe that waiting every day for the blow-ups has kept him going strong."
Deanna has been charting Dominic's progress and keeping supporters involved since he was about 2 years old, through Facebook. She has a site dedicated to her son, called Do It for Dominic. Back when she started, Dominic was just learning how to walk using a walker. "When he is home and healthy, he is a happy, outgoing, and determined little man," she wrote.
The inflatables display is so incredible that it attracts people who live outside their neighborhood in Frankfort, Illinois, to visit it. To help make a difference, Deanna and her family ask for donations to help the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation. Scientists and doctors are still learning more about CHARGE every day, but it reportedly affects both males and females equally.
The syndrome starts out in early fetal development, and is commonly caused by a mutation in the CHD7 gene. Dominic's speech is affected, but he's still able to communicate by sign language. Communication can also be tough, as many children who have CHARGE suffer from asymmetric facial palsy, which can stunt their ability to communicate through facial expressions.
A big problem that Dominic faces is how to handle other illness. On his page, Deanna wrote about how her husband caught the flu and had to be completely relocated to help his family stay as healthy as possible. "I had to have him move to his parents' house for Dominic and I to stay healthy," she wrote. "Dominic was sad Papa was leaving (especially since he was supposed to put up his blow-ups.)"
As the years go by, Dominic is gifted more inflatable by the people who hear his story. Deanna makes a point to create a video of her son opening each one. You can see how happy he is to get mail, and see which inflatable is in the box. The one question is, will the Steinhauser family ever run out of space?
Based on their mission, it's possible that neighbors would lend some lawn space just to see the Steinhauser display get bigger and bigger. No matter how you felt about inflatable decorations before, surely you understand how important they can be — especially to kids like Dominic, who look forward to the holidays all year just for this reason.
Ever wonder how long it takes the family to put the inflatables up? According to the Do It for Dominic page, they got started this year on November 10. "Explaining to him that he isn’t getting new ones every day this year isn’t going so well," Deanna wrote with "happy crying face" emoji. Still, Dominic set up an Amazon wish list… just in case.
And people couldn't help but add to the collection. Aside from making Dominic smile and feel extra loved, every inflatable that's part of the display will only help people learn more about CHARGE. So, it technically would benefit sick children everywhere, especially those who look up to Dominic and follow his progress.
The official CHARGE Christmas event happened on Thursday, December 19. It's even more incredible that the event went on since Deanna also had some time in the hospital this year and needed to undergo physical therapy. "Bill and I were talking the other day ,and between Dominic and I, we have spent more [than] half this year in a hospital," she wrote.
If you're looking to be charitable this Christmas, remember the families who truly underwent a lot this year. Dominic isn't the only child who's been in and out of the hospital — and those bills can add up. Consider donating to a charity that helps children and families who may need a little extra support, or something to smile about.
You can find out more about the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation on its website, if you're looking to donate or help. St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital is also a great place to donate money. Not only do patients go through procedures at no cost to them, but the hospital reportedly helped the childhood cancer survival rate jump from 20% to 80%.
UNICEF is another wonderful place to donate money to help sick children. They report that 89% of every dollar donated to their organization goes directly toward helping a child. Administrative costs are only 3% of what is donated, meaning that they really are set to make a difference in the world today.
