A young family have been given a small piece of joy in the run up to Christmas after the devastating death of a father.
Two-year-old boy Malachi Synder has been presented with two teddy bears made from the police uniform of his father - who was tragically killed in October.
The tiny tot will be seeing his first Christmas without his father, Blake, who was shot and killed while in the line of duty two months ago aged 33.
Malachi's grieving mum, Elizabeth, has revealed her son doesn't yet understand that his father has died and she admits she struggles to think how she can break the news to him.
"Malachi has been asking for his daddy a lot which is hard. I don't know how to respond to him yet," she told KTVI.
However, she shared on Facebook that her young boy will forever have a reminder of his dad after his uniform was turned into plush toys.
"These beautiful bears were made for us from Blake's uniforms," she wrote on the social media site with a snap of Malachi happily hugging the teddies.
On Thanksgiving, the now single mum shared photographs of Malachi with his dad and expressed her grief at losing the man she loved – and gratitude for having him in her life.
"My life was forever changed the day I started dating Blake Curtis," she wrote in a poignant post.
"His love, kindness, generosity, and overall goofy personality won me over before I knew it. The last 6 years of my life spent with him showed me just how deep love can be and just how fast it can be taken away," she wrote.
Continuing, Elizabeth noted the moment father and son met for the first time would be a memory she would "cherish and hold on to". She described Blake as a "perfect father," and highlighted he loved their son "with every fibre of his being and wanted the world for him."
In the heart-breaking post, she continued: "These two boys mean everything to me, and I'm thankful I have a bit of Blake still here with me."
Elizabeth also revealed she had been reunited with a momento of Blake that she had thought lost forever, after a friend checked an old handbag and discovered a trinket she'd asked her to look after for her years ago.
"I cannot describe what this necklace means to me," she wrote, sharing a picture of the necklace on Facebook.
"Last night I had dinner with a couple amazing friends, and when we were about to leave, Kristen hands me an envelope and tells me not to open until I get home. Well, of course I had to open it right then. She found this necklace in one of her purses and remembered that I had asked her to hold it one night because I didn't have pockets," she explained.
"This was years ago! I thought I had lost it forever. Blake had it especially made for me, so when I lost it, we were both devastated. I just really cannot describe what it means to me," she wrote.
What do you think about Malachi’s touching memento of his dad? Let us know via Twitter and Facebook (@CloserOnline)
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