The heartwarming phrase “Say hello to her” was printed on the simple T-shirt worn by Australian man Jim. This story has touched hearts around the world and sparked widespread resonance.
In 2020, Maureen, Jim’s beloved wife who resides in Manly Beach, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. At that time, doctors predicted she only had four months to live. However, incredibly, Maureen defied this prognosis. Four years have passed, and she continues to bring joy to those around her with her infectious smile and cheerful personality.
The story begins with Jim and his wife Maureen going out together, with Maureen warmly waving to passing tourists and pedestrians. However, sometimes people did not respond to her friendliness, leaving her feeling disheartened. Witnessing this, Jim came up with a creative idea: to print a personalized T-shirt with the message “My wife has dementia, please say ‘hello’ to her.”
To realize this idea, he approached Jasmin Stockwell from “CRE8withJAZ.”
Stockwell, when interviewed by Epoch Times, shared, “He didn’t just want to order a T-shirt online. He wanted to come into the shop, be personally involved in the design process, and make the T-shirt more meaningful.”
In Stockwell’s studio, Jim collaborated with the team to create the text on the T-shirt spontaneously. This simple sentence conveyed a profound message that moved Stockwell and her team members. Stockwell expressed that witnessing Jim’s efforts for his wife brought her to tears.
Recalling the moment when she learned that Jim wanted to use this method to garner more attention for his wife and himself, Stockwell and her team quickly took action and completed the printing of the T-shirt.
She said, “Jim once said, ‘She is still a vibrant person.’ This reminded me of my own grandmothers who had dementia. We rarely discussed this topic in the past because it was too saddening.”
After the T-shirt was completed, Stockwell eagerly handed it to Jim, who immediately put it on while standing by his wife’s side.
“This is so beautiful,” Stockwell said emotionally. “This is a very special T-shirt, perhaps the most beautiful one I’ve ever made.”
Several weeks later, Jim returned wanting to modify the text on the T-shirt, adding the word “beautiful” to the original sentence.
Now, the sentence on the T-shirt reads: “My beautiful wife has dementia, please say ‘hello’ to her.”
Jim now owns several such T-shirts, each in different colors because he selects a new color every few weeks from the store.
One day, several weeks after the T-shirt was finished, Jim wore it while taking a stroll with his wife at Shelly Beach. A passerby captured their photo and submitted it to the local news agency, leading to it becoming headline news. Subsequently, the story spread rapidly worldwide.
As Jim and Maureen’s story gained global attention, more people began contacting Stockwell, hoping to customize similar T-shirts for their loved ones with dementia.
Stockwell likened this phenomenon to a “snowball effect.” One woman, inspired by the story, specially ordered multiple T-shirts for her mother with dementia, which she gifted to her father and sisters.
She said, “I feel this story has touched many hearts and encouraged people to discuss this topic more openly. Many have shared their own stories with me.”
“All of this started from Jim’s beautiful idea and gradually developed into what it is today. I feel honored to be part of it, helping him bring his idea to life.”
Now, when people encounter Maureen, they greet her warmly and hospitably, rather than walking by indifferently.
This year, Jim and Maureen celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. “He cherishes every moment spent with her as much as he can,” Stockwell stated.
Running her business for 23 years, Stockwell, who loves printing and design, finds participating in this couple’s love story an honor.
“Even today, I am passionate about my work,” she said. “I enjoy creating for people and bringing them happiness.”
Jim hopes Maureen remembers the moment they first held hands at Freshwater Beach, a place where they often went on dates. Witnessing Jim’s deep affection for his wife, Stockwell is deeply admiring.
Though the overwhelming attention made Jim somewhat overwhelmed, when he reads people’s feedback, he feels very gratified. Stockwell and Jim’s daughter regularly update him on the latest developments of this story online.
One thing is certain – now, when Jim’s beautiful wife greets people, no one will shy away from responding to her greetings.