They rose into the air slowly then picked up speed after catching the wind. 99 red balloons were released into the sky over Cleveland, Georgia, on Wednesday in honor of a mother her son lost too soon.
Jeannette Baker Reimann was just 33 years old when she died of liver failure last year. Her passing marked the end of a life plagued by medical problems. Jeannette was born with birth defects including Dandy-Walker Syndrome and hydrocephalus. She was the March of Dimes poster child in her home state of New Jersey and had over 35 surgeries during her short life. She suffered through broken relationships and the loss of a child. Life for Jeannette Reimann was a struggle, but it also had its moments of joy. The greatest of which, her mother says, was the birth of her children.
The Jersey girl who struggled her whole life found hope and meaning in motherhood. When her son Anthony was four months old his father left them. Anthony found a father figure in his stepdad, but when the marriage ended, so did the fathering.
By the time Anthony turned four Jeannette found herself unable to care for him alone due to her medical condition. She turned to her parents for help. Doreen and Pete Reimann were there. The family settled in Cleveland and together they made a life, a home and they filled it with love.
That love carried into the wind Wednesday as the now 14 year old Anthony Galya led a group of some forty family, friends and strangers in the balloon release at Freedom Park. “It was mainly based off a song,” Anthony says. “It was one of her favorites growing up so I figured, let’s do this; make a memory out of the one year anniversary…just make the best of it. It’s been a rough year.”
A rough year made a little easier by the concern shown by others. Anthony’s good friend and classmate Hunter Sentell was among those who attended Wednesday’s balloon release. He came out to support his friend. “I think it kind of helps him get through it and put things in the past,” says Sentell. It wasn’t just fellow students who showed up, Anthony’s JROTC instructor and school administrators did, too.
Director of the White County Ninth Grade Academy Steve Bartlett says, “I think it’s a great way to honor your mother. I just wanted to show Anthony the support of the school.” He was joined in doing that by White County High School Assistant Principal Octavius Mulligan. “What this meant to me was that we still have kids out there that have emotions and feelings and I think we tend to forget that they’re still children and they go through issues and things that bother people. He’s one of our students so I wanted to be here for him.”
Being there. Sometimes that’s all you can do when someone is grieving. On this day in Cleveland it seemed just enough.
“Although complete strangers yesterday, the people that were here today are not strangers anymore,” says Doreen Reimann, reflecting on the tribute to her only daughter on the first year anniversary of her death. “This day was about Anthony. I wanted him to see that there really is a community. It’s not just buildings and people shopping and going about their own lives, there really are people out there who want to help each other and support each other and say, ‘Hey, I do care about you.'”
That is the message this small mountain community delivered on Wednesday. It is the message the winds carried beyond Cleveland’s borders. It’s the message a teenaged boy who has suffered great loss in his young life can now cling to, all because of the mother who loved him and 99 red balloons.
99 Red Balloons
The song “99 Red Balloons” by the group Nena was Jeannette Baker Reimann’s favorite. Her mom says she loved to dance to it as a child and red balloons were a staple at family celebrations. As the first year anniversary of his mother’s death approached Doreen asked Anthony how he wanted to memorialize the day. He told her, “I want to release those 99 red balloons and I want other people to be around to see. I want them to know who she was.” He got his wish on Wednesday, April 15, 2015, in Cleveland, Georgia’s Freedom Park.
(click photos to enlarge)
