Gatesville News Article

I apologize for the grainy picture of this article. It was in last Wednesday's Gatesville Messenger, which is a small local newspaper for Gatesville, TX. I thought you might like to see it. They do not have the article online and so I scanned this:

I hope you can read it. The article itself was wonderful!

Stories of hope & survival

Today I went to Killeen for the Relay For Life garage sale. We had a table there to sell chances for the quilt, as well as recruit for our blood drive we were having.
First of all it poured. I mean, the heavens opened up and dropped an ocean on us. And the person at the garage sale didn't mark off spots for our blood mobile which meant we were at the back of the parking lot.
But that didn't stop people from coming to donate. Our numbers were lower than what we would have liked, but people responded to our need.
We made $45 on the quilt which was good given that this was a garage sale crowd and not a craft fair crowd. $30 of that was simply a donation from two folks.
I don't know what it is about me that people feel comfortable "opening up" to me, but I do consider it a blessing. Today was no different.
At the start of my day, a mother and daughter came by, looked at the quilt and when I told them about it, both started to cry. I asked if one of them was a survivor and the daughter said "it is too fresh" and walked away. So I looked at the mom, told her I was a 23 year survivor and whatever it was, she would get through it. She cried, and then told me she was a 5 year survivor--until yesterday. They found another cancer spot in a different part of her body. We talked briefly, I tried to encourage her and told her I would think of her as I walked in Relay in 2 weeks.
A little time passed and an older gentleman came and looked at the quilt. He told me he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and prostate cancer a few years ago. Basically, they told him there wasn't much hope, but that he should go to the VA since he was a veteran. He did and found out that the lymphoma was probably caused by agent orange during the Vietnam war. They told him they could help him and he has been cancer free for 10 years. When the doctor sees him, he calls him "his walking miracle". I shook his hand and told him I was proud to meet a miracle. About 20 minutes later, he came back, laid $20 on the table and told me to donate it to ACS to help others.
Just before I left, another couple came by and asked about the quilt. We talked and their son has lymphoma is is undergoing treatment. We talked for awhile, cried for awhile, and then smiled for awhile, assured the treatment was going to work. They left a $10 donation.
You know, I am truly blessed. God gave me the ability to talk with folks and to listen with folks and to try to understand what they are going through. I pray today I helped someone along the way on their journey. I know they helped me.

Songs of Love

Hey guys! I just heard about this great site that helps children and teens going through treatments for cancer.
When I heard about it on CBS Morning Show I thought "wow! Someone is using their talents like we use ours to help cancer patients". It was amazing.
What these people do is to bring musicians together to record a song for a specific patient. The song is about that person, their hobbies, likes, dislikes, personalities, etc. Then they send the song to the patient to enjoy. It can help them get through nasty stuff like MRI's and getting stuck over and over again. Mostly they just know that someone cared enough about them, someone that didn't know them personally cared enough to do something just for THEM!
They have a website. It is called Songs of Love and the website is http://www.songsoflove.org
and is wonderful to read about what they do. And they need donations, so if you feel moved, do something to help!
Wow! Stitching for a cure, songs of love, what next?

What now?

Well, the last square of the last quilt is in. And the quilt is off to the quilter's (thanks Halina!).
So what now? I mean I still have three Relays to go to and I still have to sell raffle tickets for the quilts, the pillows and some ornies that were left over. But that is all stuff I do at the meetings and such.
What do I do about this blog? We won't be starting anymore projects until at least September or October for next year and even then I don't have a clue what those projects will be.
I will of course, keep you updated with pics of the quilt when it is finished and on how much money we have raised.
I have missed stitching stuff just for fun. So I guess that is what I will focus my stitching on. And I have a few charity quilt squares I am working on.
But you tell me. What do you get from this blog? Do you want more educational posts on different forms of cancer and what American Cancer Society does? Do you want more stories of the patients I know, both those that are survivors and those who aren't?
How can I make this blog continue until our next project? I really need your input on what to do. You have made all of these projects a huge success. Thank you to all of you, whether you have stitched something or simply followed along with our progress. You will always have a piece of my heart.

Calling all quilt blocks

We have the date for the Waco Relay kick-off. It is March 22nd. I would like to have the quilt ready to go by then so we can start selling tickets. If you have quilt blocks at this time, please let me know how you are doing on them. Just shoot me a short e-mail.
If I can get it to Halina by Mar. 1, we might be ok to get it back by March 22. I just need to check with her.
I have shown off the Killeen quilt everywhere and they are loving it. I have sold a few tickets, but have the first big Killeen team captain meeting on Feb. 25th. So I plan on selling a TON of tickets there!
Thanks for all your help. In addition to the 3 Relays I am actually participating as team captain in, there are a couple of smaller Relays I will be attending as a survivor. So we will be busy, busy, busy until June. Then it all kind of slows down until around Sept. for the Waco Relay in October. You don't want to do a Relay in Texas in the summer, trust me!
Thank you all for your help!

Update on Cooper

I just read Cooper's dad's blog. Cooper did well through surgery and the doctor was cautiously optimistic that he got all the tumor out! I will be keeping up with Cooper and let you all know how he is doing!

Fabric for quilt #2 has arrived

I am so excited! The fabric for the back of quilt #2 arrived today. It is even prettier than the first piece of fabric.
I had originally ordered this fabric but they were out of it. So I went with the other fabric and while it is fantastic, this is more what I thought about using. It is purple, which is the color of Relay. It has purple ribbons on it and swirls of purple with wording on it such as "be generous", "help others", "join the fight-care about a cure", "overcome", "live", "love", "pray for a cure" and "help with hope". These are all words that describe what we are doing with this quilt and with this project. I just have one more square to have stitched and that is a yellow square for bladder cancer.
It is amazing. Soon we are going to have all the squares in and can send it off to be quilted also.
Then what???? We will have completed all our projects for all three Relays! I have several pillows we are going to raffle off for the 3rd Relay and several ornaments we will do silent auctions for at the team captains meetings.
I know I will be busy going to team captains meetings, committee meetings and actual Relays, along with selling raffle tickets for everything.
But it is hard to think that our project is finished for now. We Relay in April, June and October and then start again. So keep checking back here for new projects. We will get started again probably in mid-summer.
Any thoughts on what to do next? I want to see how the quilts do and we may do it again next year. This has been an easy to manage project, unlike the Christmas ornament project. But of course that project brought in over $1100. Wonder what these quilts will bring in?
Thank you to all who have participated. If you are interested in doing the yellow square please e-mail me. Check back here frequently for pictures of the finished quilt!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of you! You are such a blessing to so many, esp. me!
My dear sweet husband surprised me early with a floor stand Ott light! Now I can work on these projects at night and on cloudy days. Stitching on 28 count requires good light, as you all know and I could never seem to get enough light even with a regular lamp.
I want to take a moment to say thank you to my husband. While it is all of you who help stitch for this project, it is my husband who supports me with his love and patience.
He oohs and ahs at all the goodies that come through my mail. He watches me stitch and applauds me when I finish a project. And he bought me this light just to make me happy.
My dear husband also listens to me when I tell him about the patients we are helping. He is also there when there are losses.
This past year when we lost sweet MaKenzie, it broke his big heart. But he went with me to the family time, walked up with me to the little casket and cried with me. I honestly don't think I could have done that without him.
James, I love you so much. I need you so much and you are such a blessing to me. These past 5 years have been wonderful and I look forward to the next 5 years.
I pray each of you have all you want and need for this Christmas! I love you all!

Go Purple in November

November is pancreatic cancer awareness month. Purple is the color ribbon for pancreatic awareness.
I encourage you to go to the site below and check out ways you can help!
http://www.pancan.org/section_get_involved/pancan_awareness_month
Let's put an end to this terrible disease. Go purple this November!

New Yahoo Group

Hello all! Our quilter for our new project, Halina, has a new Yahoo group. You might want to check it out and possibly consider joining the group.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/QuiltsForCancer
Right now she and I are the only members, but it will grow I sure. Halina has been a part of the Yahoo group, Quilts for Breast Cancer and has put together many of the quilts for them.
On this new group, we can chat and do updates on the quilt squares and it will be another way to get out the message about what we are doing!
Thanks to Halina and all of you for what you are doing to make a difference!

S is for stitching, stories & survival

I received three ornies today. Both had written stories as to why and how the ornies were made.
The first is from Cindy Mae:

This is what she wrote: "I pray that you are able to raise a ton of money with it (the tree). I had a cousin who passed this year and this ornament was made in honor and memory of her. Her name was Nannette and she was born 1966 and had battled cancer 8 times since she was 16 years old. She was such a strong woman who touched countless people's lives through her battle with cancer. The thing I loved about her is that she felt in her death she was not loosing her battle with cancer, just winning because she would join her Father in Heaven. Awesome attitude! She had an amazing husband and two children that she left but she knew in her heart that she will meet them again some day."

The next two ornies are from Pamela and her mother Lois:


Here is Pam's story: "I sent you an email back in February about waiting in the waiting room with my mom while my dad was having a medical procedure. My Mom (Lois) had never taken an interest in stitching, but I was working on my ornament for you and she was very interested. She asked me to show her how to stitch. Since I had extra fabric and thread, we sat in the waiting room and I taught her.
Her very first stitched project-and finish- is one of the ornaments included in this package. The pink and white ornament is the one my mom stitched and we finished it together. This is particularly special because this year marks my mom's 10th year as a breast cancer survivor! She moves slower these days, but is doing well"

I have said this many times and I am going to say it again. When I started this project I thought we would make some ornaments, make some money for a good cause and then be done with it.
I will never be done with it. The reason is that you all have given me your stories, your hearts, your love of stitching and helping and I have taken it all inside. You are a part of me, much like my heart and lungs are a part of me. Thank you for all you have given me and given for this project.

An Honor

Tomorrow night I am speaking at the Relay For Life survivor's dinner. Carter BloodCare is the corporate sponsor for this event. I am honored to speak at this event.
Cancer survivors and their spouses or friends attend the event.
I have spoken at this dinner several times before. I speak on the need for blood in our community and how nearly 75% of the blood products used are used by cancer patients.
Each year I look out into the audience and I am in awe. These people have fought the battle or are fighting the battle now. They have fought the good fight. But we still haven't won the war.
Last night at our Relay team captain's meeting I heard a woman speak about her sister. She told the story of her sister's fight with leukemia, a fight she eventually lost.
Then the woman turned to me. Looked me in the eye and told me how important blood products were in her sister's fight. It enabled her at times to leave the hospital and spend precious time with her family.
As I speak tomorrow night I will remember that woman and her sister. I know my job is important. But not nearly as important as the blood donor's job. They are the most important people in my world.
If you are a blood donor, please give. And give often. If you are not, please consider giving or get someone you know to give. Blood donors save lives. It is that simple and that important.

Pink & White

Today I displayed the pink & white tree for the first time at an ACS Craft Fair. We had a fair turnout, but not quite as much as we expected. We sold $59 worth of raffle tickets for the tree.
But the majority of the teams had their own booths and weren't totally able to break away to purchase tickets. We will probably sell quite a few more at our meeting on Tuesday.
The tree will now hang out in our donor center where we will continue to sell tickets until the night of Relay, Oct. 17th. Then it, along with the big tree, will be at Relay and that is where most of the ticket selling will occur.
I hope to make $500 off of this tree alone. It should be quite do-able. I am also going to have some media coverage after Relay.
The pink & white tree will be raffled on November 1. It is in honor of breast cancer awareness month. The other tree will be raffled off on Thanksgiving.
So we are still along way from the finish line on collecting money for ACS.
Here are a couple of pictures of the tree. The fair was outdoors and the colors of the ornaments don't show as pretty as they really are!
We did have a "fallen angel" problem with the tree topper. I will have to work on it. The wind played a part in the falling angel.



Thanks again Aunt Sue!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a tree!

We have found a sponsor for the big tree! It is going to be a pre-lit 7 1/2 foot tree. This means that there will be no money raised that will have to go to the purchase of either tree! Everything we make will all go to American Cancer Society.
Hatch Bailey, of Wilkirson Hatch Bailey Funeral Home is donating the money for the tree.
Hatch lost his wife, Yvonne to melanoma. Yvonne lost her dad and then her mother passed after her to cancer. Here is the link to the obituary that touched my heart:
Yvonne Bailey
On this Saturday, I will reveal the Pink & White tree at a Relay For Life Craft Fair. We will sell raffle tickets for it through Oct. 31 and will raffle it off on Nov. 1. It will be displayed alongside the big tree at Relay For Life on Oct. 17th.
I had started getting nervous again (I know, I know!) But God has put so many things in motion that I am sure we are going to raise our goal of $5000.
Thanks Hatch! You are a gem!

Calling all ornaments and the TREE TOPPER!

I have been amazed several times during this project. Amazed that so many people would take their precious talent and precious stitching time to make these ornaments. Amazed that so many people would share with me their stories of themselves, family members and friends who have fought the battle with cancer. Some have won, some have lost and some are still fighting.
On October 22, 2008 I started this blog and asked those who wanted to participate to join me in the fight against cancer. In the past year, almost weekly, my mail has brought ornaments. Some in big boxes with lots of ornaments, some in an envelope with one or two ornaments.
Each one was made with love. Each one is so beautiful in it's own right.
I received a box of 64 pink and white ornaments from Cindy's "Aunt Sue". This included a pink angel tree topper. I decided then that we would not do one, but two trees. The big one and a smaller one with the pink & white ornaments in honor of October being breast cancer awareness month.
This pink & white tree will make it's debut at a Relay For Life craft show. Raffle tickets will be $1 each. After the craft show, it will be displayed in our donor center where we will continue to sell tickets. It will also be displayed on October 17th, the night of Relay. Again we will sell tickets. It will be raffled off on November 1.
The 6 foot tree will debut the night of Relay, Oct. 17th. Tickets for it will be $5 each or 5 for $20. After Relay, it too will be displayed at the donor center and tickets sold for it. That tree will be raffled off on Thanksgiving Day. I thought it was appropriate to do it then. One we will give thanks for all those who helped make a difference and two most people put their trees up on the Friday after Thanksgiving or during that weekend.
At some point during this project I wondered out loud if I would have enough ornaments to decorate a 6 foot tree.
I needn't worried. I just counted the ornaments and not including the 64 ornaments for the pink & white tree, I have 103 ornaments. Amazing. These ornaments will fill a tree. A tree like no other.
So now, I am calling all ornaments. If you have an ornament that you want to be on the tree, please send them in between now and October 17th.
And I am pleased to announce that Aunt Sue has made the tree topper for the 6 foot tree also. It is done in purple thread, the color for general cancer awareness.
So with no further ado, let me present to you the 2009 Relay For Life Stitching for a Cure tree topper:

Thanks to all, whether you stitched an ornament, shared this blog with friends or supported us with your thoughts and prayers. You have been a blessing to me!
I will continue to post as the trees make their debuts and I will post pictures of the trees.

MaKenzie, my hero

This is MaKenzie. She is my hero. She is just 2 years old and is (I can hardly write this) most likely dying. The doctors give her a few weeks at most and days at the worst.
She is the little girl I stitched the zebra print ornament for. Just a couple of months ago they thought the cancer was receding and treatment was working. Now she is at home, all treatment stopped.
She has an unknown cancer. And it breaks my heart.
Not only does it break my heart, but my husband's heart also. My DH is a big guy, a tough on the outside, never show weakness and certainly never cry guy.
But little MaKenzie, on the only time she ever saw him, gave him the biggest smile and blew a kiss to him. I haven't seen that big a smile on his face since our wedding day. But now, I see sadness in his eyes. He talks about her often. And wonders why.
And now, every day, we pray. We pray for God's will to be done. We pray for the family to have strength. We pray that something can be done and we can see a miracle occur.
But I think that this little girl was given her angel wings long before she came to earth. I read that in the guest book on her website. And it fits. She is a little angel.
So please, tonight, say a prayer for MaKenzie and her family. And let's keep fighting and stitching for a cure!

Stuart Little

I received this in an e-mail from a mother. It touched my heart. And it is the reason I have this blog. For all the Stuarts in the world. Please read this with an open heart. I had spoke on an earlier blog about how easy it is to get on the bone marrow registry.
A simple form, a simple swab on the inside of your mouth and you could be a true life saver!

This has become Stuart’s new role in life; he needs someone to be his match.
In 2008 a normal life changed when Stuart was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He had been a successful real estate agent with a promising future before the devastating news of leukemia. He had spent 6 yrs in the navy and fought in several conflicts. His last tour was in Operation Enduring Freedom. His navy career had been the most important and satisfying part of his life. He left the navy for the next aspect of his life. We don’t always know where that is.

His diagnosis has turned our family upside down. We have always been close and his diagnosis has changed our lives forever. He has gone through intense chemo treatments and many complications. He keeps his spirits high as his treatments take a toll on his body. He has completed his treatments and is doing well now.

This is where he needs your help to recover and get back to a well and productive life. He needs a bone marrow transplant. This procedure is one needed by thousands of people daily in order to save their lives. The need for donors has hit close to home for us since Stuart has been on the National Registry and has yet to find a donor.

Everyday new donors are signed up in the bone marrow donor program. If your not one of those who has signed up our plea is to you. The test involves a mouth swab to check for a match. The procedure is so simple if you’re a donor, one that can truly save a life and change yours forever.

Stuart, a person willing to put himself out to help wherever he could help, has always been there if anyone needed a helping hand. He needs help now from the person out there that could be his match. Do the right thing, sign up today. He might just be waiting for you.

Making Progress

Well, today I found a sponsor to purchase the small tree that will be used to show off Aunt Sue's pink & white ornaments. We will display this starting Sept. 19th at a craft show where we will sell the first raffle tickets. Then it will be on display at our donor center and at Relay. We will raffle it off on Nov. 1. This tree is in honor of breast cancer awareness month.
It will give me a little idea of how the big tree will do. I hope we can work out any little "bugs" we find before we display the big tree.
I am going to try to find a sponsor for the big tree. If someone purchases or donates the tree for us, then that is less money being spent on it and more money for Relay.
The sponsor is Redwoods Inc. here in Waco. They sell, well, redwood. Along with other stuff! LOL.
By the way, if you are interested in donating for the cause, see the link on the top right hand side of my blog where it says Stitching for a Cure Relay Team. Follow the instructions to donate online or there is a form you can print off to send in a check.
Thanks to Redwoods and to all the stitchers who have been a part of this great program. We are getting down to the wire!

I know, I know

I know it has been a long time since I posted. I am sorry. There is much to report.
However, I must have used my camera too much on my vacation last week because I can't get it to take a picture to save my soul.
So I will try to be as descriptive as possible.
First off, let me tell you that Jo's Bear and the Peace,Love & a Cure pillow made by Marian of Gumbo and Grits made $180 from the raffle we did for them! Wowie!
Thanks Marian! We are off to a great start!
Second, I have received many, many ornaments. I received some from Janet today that are beautiful and one from Bree today. All are just lovely.
Last week I received a box of 30 (yes THIRTY) ornaments from Wanda Neal. She participated in a contest with a Yahoo group and was the winner of the most ornaments made. They are just beautiful. Each one has it's own "personality".
Today I also received a box of pink and white machine stitched ornaments from Cindy's Aunt Sue from NC. There are 64 ornaments in the box including a beautiful angel tree topper. Some ornaments are 3 dimensional. Some go over pink glass balls. There are tear drops, ball ornaments, angels, Cure ribbons, just everything.
I have decided since these ornaments go so well together that we are going to do 2 trees! The one with Aunt Sue's ornaments will be a small tree, maybe 4 feet, maybe 5 depending on when I spread the ornaments out and see what size tree we need.
The other ornaments are going to go on a 6 1/2 foot tree. I think we will do $1 a ticket for the smaller tree and $5 a ticket for the larger tree.
My fear was that some people wouldn't want to risk $5 on just one ticket. But they might risk $5 on 5 tickets.
At this point the big tree is almost complete. I know Cindy and a few others have ornies they are finishing up and with those I think we will be set.
But if you want to make an ornament and haven't yet, please don't stop. Every ornament will be used to raise money. If we have more than will fit on the tree, we will sell the individual ornaments.
Prayerfully I will get my camera up and running so you can see some of the beautiful work that has been sent to me.
You all have been such a blessing. Right now our SFAC has brought in a total of $205 for cancer awareness (all to ACS). Our goal is $5000 and I think, no I believe, we will go over that goal.
You all are ANGELS. Your gift that has been given to you has been put to great use. THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I may not meet all of you in person, but I can truly say I love you. Such generous, sweet people. Bless you all!
I will update you all along the way to the big day, the day before Thanksgiving when we raffle off BOTH trees! TWO TREES! Who woulda thunk it?

Vee did it again and a challenge

Vee has designed two new ornaments for us! They are name snowflakes and the links are on the right side of my blog with the other patterns.
Vee makes these name snowflake designs for sell on her website: Vee and Co.
Check them out.
She has been so generous to us with her designs for our cause!
Now here is the challenge: Beth has this wonderful Sweetheart Tree "Find the Cure" pattern and is offering it for free to anyone that would like to stitch it for the Stitching for a Cure project.
Here is the link:
Sweetheart Tree:"Find The Cure"
If you are interested, let me know and I will contact Beth.
Thanks to Beth and Vee and you all. We couldn't do this without all the wonderful support!