With a loud crack, the house was illuminated and immediately filled with the faint smell of something burning. My mom instantly shot up from being sound asleep and began to search for the source of the smell.  She could never have predicted what she would soon discover; that a well-placed stuffed panda would single handedly save her infant daughter’s life.  The stuffed animal stands at just three feet tall and remained in my family for years to come.  Whenever I caught sight of the panda, my mind transported back to that fateful night and I was reminded of how lucky I am that my stuffed panda was watching out for me.  I guess you could call him a guardian panda of sorts.

It was the summer of 1989 and I was not even one year old yet.  One particular evening a wild storm rumbled through quaint and quiet Newfane, Vermont.  It was an especially wild storm, with bright flashes of lightening surrounding all sides of our modest one-story ranch home.  During the height of the storm a loud crack of lightening, unbeknownst to my parents, struck the side of our home, allowing a current of electricity to enter the house through an exterior outlet that was on the outside wall of my bedroom.  The current managed to travel through the wall of the room via the electrical wires attached to the outlet.  The electricity then traveled down the wall and connected to metal carpet staples that ran along the floors of our home.  It used these staples to continue its journey through my bedroom, where I was soundly sleeping in my crib, unfazed by the storm outside or the impending danger.  The current crept along the baseboard, ominously heading for the foot of my crib.  However, just before it reached its destination point, the electricity current passed through a large Mary Meyer stuffed panda that was placed just next to my crib.  When it struck the sturdy panda, the electricity was immediately extinguished.  The panda bear was non-flammable after all!

Recounting the story, my mom describes that while lying in bed, awoken by the storm, my parents were startled by the flash of lightening, but weren’t able to determine if it was indoors or outdoors.  However, soon enough they were able to detect the distinct smell of smoke.  Looking out the windows only to see nothing, they walked down the hallway to my room, opened the door and noticed that the smell of burning was significantly stronger in there.  It was then that my mother noticed a large circular burn surrounding an electrical outlet on my bedroom wall.  Upon further inspection she noticed that the carpeting was pulled away from the wall in my room up the point where the panda bear sat, seemingly unfazed by the storm that was wreaking havoc outdoors.  When she moved the panda away from the wall, mom noticed a distinct burn mark on the lower back of the panda.  The fur had been burned and was now stiff and rough to the touch.  After consulting with my grandfather (my mom’s father), who was our resident expert on all things electrical, my parents were able to put the pieces of the puzzle to together, forming the version of events that I have just described.  In addition, the lightening had also managed to blow out the television, television antenna, the cordless phone, and our well pump.  But most importantly, it was noted that the Mary Meyer stuffed panda that had contently sat at the foot of my crib for months may have very well saved my life, all without batting an eyelash or moving a muscle!  Now, how is that for a lifetime satisfaction guarantee?