Photo courtesy of John Higgins
“SID” stickers are popping up across Mountain Brook in honor of 16-year-old Crestline Village resident Sid Ortis. The stickers, donning Sid’s name, are printed in purple and yellow—the colors of his LSU Tigers. The stickers are the latest showing of support for the teen, who is now at home under hospice care following a 14-month battle with bone cancer.
According to a post on the What’s Happening in Mountain Brook Facebook page, the free SID stickers are now available at Little Hardware, Smith’s Variety, Once Upon a Time, Mountain Brook Sporting Goods and The Pants Store. Participating retailers are accepting donations in exchange for the stickers to go toward research for pediatric cancer.
The stickers, printed by a Mountain Brook couple who own American Design, LLC, modeled the stickers after a design that has been circulating through social media in support of Sid. Twitter user The LSU Logo, @LSU_Logo, shared the sticker design on Oct. 27 to create a campaign asking LSU players to wear the stickers on their helmets during the Alabama-LSU game Nov. 7.
John Higgins and his wife said it was an easy thing for them to do that also had a purpose.
“[We are] just hoping it lets the Ortis family know that the community is constantly pulling for and praying for them,” the Higgins said in a Facebook message.
The idea for printing the stickers came to the couple last night, while they discussed the possibility of LSU donning a similar sticker on their helmets. If the football team might do it, they reasoned, Sid’s neighbors should too.
“Our goal in doing this is simply to have a reminder of Sid's strength, grace and courage visible throughout the community,” the couple shared on Facebook. “When you see a SID sticker while you're out and about, please say a silent prayer for healing and peace for Sid and the Ortis family.”
Donations are also being taken online at https://www.commitchange.com/al/birmingham/open-hands-overflowing-hearts/campaigns/geaux-sid. To date, donors have raised more than $14,000. Donations made in honor of Sid Ortis will be donated to Children's Hospital of Alabama and 100 percent will go to pediatric cancer research according to the site.
The Higgins said they hope the stickers are picked up and are prominently displayed in time for this weekend’s Homecoming Parade.
