Man got hate mails for his unique skeleton Halloween display—then a cancer patient's abrupt note stopped him in his tracks
People might feel passionately about one holiday or another and celebrate it in a big way. For an Ohio man, that festival is Halloween. The man, Bill Pyles, passionately put up an elaborate display of bones, skulls and more to celebrate the holiday. However, his neighbors weren't exactly thrilled about the entire setup, as evidenced by all the hate mail they sent his way. Nonetheless, it became a source of hope and smiles for one cancer patient, Tammy Weihe and she pushed the man to keep going despite the hate, per CBS News.
The man's neighbors had accused him of "worshipping the devil" and "glorifying death" through the mail, so he had thought of making his display smaller in 2024, when he got a note in September last year. "I stopped dead in my tracks in the driveway looking at that letter," Bill noted. The mail was from Weihe, who had been suffering from breast cancer and passed the man's house in Oxford, Ohio, on the way to her daily radiation treatments. At first, the man was worried that his Halloween display and its evident tones of death might have been distressing for Weihe. But he was surprised to see what the woman had actually written for him.
"The bone family and what they are up to...(is) a highlight of my journey," Weihe expressed. She explained that the last day of her treatment was fast approaching and she was grateful for the distraction the display gave her on the way to her treatment each day. "Tears came to my eyes, really touched my heart," Bill remarked. So, instead of taking from the display, he decided to add to it. Eventually, when the woman passed the house on the final day of her treatment, an entire group of skeletons was cheering for her. "It was very touching to think that somebody would go to that effort for a stranger," Weihe went on. The two became friends after that and stayed in touch.
The man admitted that Weihe's letter meant much more than all the hate mail he had received and he planned to make the display even grander. Bill also thought that he wanted to keep the decorations up all year round. "Things are going to stay up and they are going to stay active." People applauded the man and the friendship in the comments section of the video. @stevecook1675 wrote, "A large majority of the women in my family passed away from cancer. I know that display would have made them laugh and enjoy it." @BewareTheJabberwock commented, "What a wonderful man! He changed the life of one person by making her happy during a worrying and stressful time. Bravo to Bill and congratulations to Tammy!"
@HikaruKatayamma remarked, "Unfortunately, there are people out there who exist to be offended. I’m so glad Tammy sent that letter." @incredibleminds863 shared, "So I also had a hang-up about skeletons and skulls when my 18-year-old autistic daughter wanted a skull pot plant for her room and a ribcage of flowers. She set me straight with one line. I was quite embarrassed. There is absolutely nothing evil about this. Right now, you're able to walk because of your skeleton. It's just biology, Mom!" @zivagoldman2001 expressed, "What a thoughtful gesture. The world needs more people like Bill! Wishing Tammy a full recovery!"