by Meg Corcoran
Greg & Dagmar
Author William Turner Ellis once remarked, “It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.”For Greg Yacabell, a year-round Christmas lover, the sentiments of the heartfelt season had a direct impact on his long recovery from a debilitating stroke suffered at the age of 39 while crabbing off the old North Wildwood rail bridge with his 10 year-old son, Greg.
In addition to enduring the inability to walk, talk, read or write, Greg, whose children also included Lynn, age 12 and six-month old Regina, also had to suffer through his wife’s decision to end their marriage. Life wasn’t hopeless, though, thanks to his 80-year-old mom, who became his dedicated champion and biggest supporter, taking him to church and re-introducing him to the meaningful things in life. In addition, his sister Gloria took him on road trips through Rt. 9, visiting antique shops and checking out postcards that contained images of his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware and his summer home, North Wildwood. It was during these Rt. 9 shopping excursions that he discovered a colorful collection of Christmas postcards displaying holiday greetings alongside a Victorian Santa Claus.
A light bulb of sorts went off and Greg found his spirits lifted by the infectious yuletide cheer creatively exhibited in print. The beginning of what would become an extensive postcard collection had taken flight as had the arduous task of learning to walk and talk again. The messages on the cards spoke to his heart, encouraging him to keep reading. Eventually, Greg got a job at the county library (at $5.50 an hour), where he practiced reading while working. Four years passed and, in 1996, with his recovery progressing, he began his next job at the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts in visitor services, initially working at the Cape May Lighthouse before helping with tours at the Carriage House at the Emlen Physick Estates.
It was at the Carriage House that fate intervened, causing him to interact with fellow North Wildwood (and Christmas) lover Dagmar Kessler-Jelinic, who was working at the gift shop. They would soon learn they had many things in common as they recalled their carefree childhood Wildwood summers spent three blocks apart! Greg even recalled a long-ago memory of crossing paths with an ice-cream eating Dagmar.
Dagmar, a prima ballerina who is a founding member of the Pennsylvania Ballet, is also a fan of Greg’s treasured postcard collection and has helped organize the thousands of cards he possesses, which include Valentine’s Day, Easter and the Cape May Lighthouse.
Blessed with his own blend of Christmas magic, Greg once vowed to climb to the top of the lighthouse, diligently taking 30 steps at a time until he made it to the top of that 199th step. Reaching the top became one of his many proud accomplishments since suffering the stroke that irrevocably changed the course of his life.
Greg acknowledges that while overcoming tragedy, he was blessed with a hard-won healing; leaving him with the sweet belief that each good day can be as special as Christmas day. By keeping the spirit of Christmas (and Santa Claus) in his heart all year long, Greg, a.k.a. Mr. Christmas, has shown that the sentiments of the season (and the power of postcards) can create miracles by the sea…
