# @americanredcross on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DOYsEujjk4i
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/72588462-americanredcross-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/0ea20caf9f.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-09-09T15:01:09.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** American Red Cross (@americanredcross) — https://gondola.cc/americanredcross

## Caption

What started as a quiet night turned into a moment that changed everything for Jordyn Johnstone and her family.

“We went to bed with no inkling of how much our lives were about to change,” she said.

At 3 a.m., the family woke to a yellow haze and an odd smell. Jordyn's husband, Anderson, went to investigate. Sensing something was wrong, Jordyn dropped to the floor and crawled to the nearest window with her daughter, Waverly, and son, Foswhitt.

They escaped their townhome by jumping out the window.

“Miraculously, we suffered no burns, cuts, broken bones or lung damage,” Jordyn said.

Two of their four cats and their puppy survived the fire, but everything else was tragically lost.

The next day, RedCrossMO volunteers contacted Jordyn and arrived at her father’s home to provide personal care kits, blankets, financial assistance and other resources. They returned the following day with a voucher for prescription glasses for Anderson and a sweet surprise for the kids.

“To my surprise, [Red Cross volunteer] Willie came back the next day carrying BuildABear toys for both kids,” Jordyn said. “At the time, I could not fully describe to Willie how much this meant to my family. This was the first ‘stuffy’ my kiddos had replaced, and my daughter gave hers the biggest hug. Build-A-Bear is a huge part of my family.”

Jordyn’s kids had several Build-A-Bears that were all lost in the fire, each with their own outfits and accessories, representing a special time in their lives.

“Receiving those bears really healed a part of me and let me know everything was eventually going to be okay,” she said.

Have you or someone you love received a bear during a tough time? Share your story below! #NationalTeddyBearDay

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## Credits

No public credits are recorded here. This does not identify who made the post.

## Tags

nationalteddybearday

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