Category: Inspiration

Fall Bouquets For Chemo Patients

 

Fall bouquets to surprise chemotherapy patients.

 

We are on a roll now and are looking forward to New Year Bouquets!

Thank you to my amazing flower arranging friends and Tom for his strong hands to cut through all that wire!

 

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Today’s Muse

 

Muse:  A source of inspiration and a guiding spirit.

Today’s Muse is Madeline who I met at the pet food store (just one of many I frequent).

An adorable young lady who informed me that her t-shirt was a triple hand me down and showed me the worn spots and holes.

When I wondered if my dogs would like a goat dog kibble she ran to the back room and found a sample for them to try (it was pretty goaty stinky but after a few sniffs they gobbled it right down).

She also made sure I got my cash discount and reminded the owner of the store to figure out a good discount for my huge purchase of over 100 lbs of dog food and several bags of parrot food.

This young lady had me smiling the whole time I shopped and I realized that she made my day a better day with her bubbly personality.  Madeline inspired me to be more friendly and helpful and to pay attention to those around me!

My Hero and Today’s Muse, Madeline.

 

Donating Platelets and Plasma

 

Platelets only last for five days.  The need for donors is high.  Plasma can be collected at the same time as platelets.

These blood components are used to treat accident victims, organ and marrow transplant recipients, cancer and heart surgery patients and those with blood-related diseases like sickle cell anemia.

What can you do while you are hooked up to the machine?  I always watch a movie.  This time I watched Hugh Jackman in The Greatest Showman.  No long lines, no talking audience, no rustling treat bags, no slurping, and no big ticket price.

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And best of all a warm blanket!

Delivered! 100 Pots for Cancer Survivors.

What an amazing event!  Each survivor got a pin describing the length of their journey, here is my pin celebrating one year!

The students from Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School helped by decorating 99 pots for cancer survivors.  Each pot was signed by the child and also adorned with a live peace lily plant.

The pots sure made for festive table decorations and treasured favors for each cancer survivor to take home to remember the celebration.

Not a pot was left at the end of the day.  But wait, for those of you who can count I said 99 pots were decorated by the students.  What is the mystery surrounding the 100th pot?

No mystery, as the organizer of getting the pots painted I actually did one pot as a sample so we would have a dry one for the kids to pass around and look at.

I went on a hunt for my pot and was going to try to take MY POT home with me.  When I found the pot this lovely gentlemen was not going to give it up, not even in trade for a different pot!

I was happy to meet the recipient of my pot and get a picture taken with him.  He was happy to meet the artist who painted his pot.  We also shared a huge hug.

100 pots for the cancer survivors celebration delivered!

 

Completed! 100 Pots for Cancer Survivors.

100 pots for the cancer survivors celebration completed!

Each pot covered with thumb print flowers, the celebration theme word Hope, and signed by the artists with hugs, kisses and hearts.

A big thank you to the artists that participated from Saints Peter and Paul School.  The third, fourth and fifth grade classes created these awesome pieces of art to show their support for cancer survivors.

What an amazing gift to receive, these pots will be treasured by the recipients.

Many of these children have a loved one who is a cancer survivor or currently going through cancer treatment. Because they shared their stories with each other, all of the children put a lot of love and hope into each pot.

Love and hope, pretty strong medicine.

100 Pots for Cancer Survivors.

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A really special celebration for cancer survivors is being arranged this year by my friend Penne, an Oncology Educator with Centura Health.  This is such an important message for those of us who are cancer survivors and I was flattered to be asked to help with hand made gifts for these warriors and heroes.

Preparing these pots to be painted.  A peace lily plant will be placed in each pot.  I cut the top of my friend Jane’s head off, sorry Jane, I’ll catch a better picture of you later!

Here is Penne, one of the kindest and most thoughtful people alive.

This year’s theme is Hope and the color purple is the color for cancer survivors.

Here is a sample of one of the pots when completed.

I have lined up some very special guest artists to help us out with these thumbprint flowers and personalizing each pot with the artist’s name and some hugs and kisses XOXO.

To receive a hand made gift that was touched by many different people is a very special message for the recipient.  To know others are wishing you good health is strong medicine indeed!

Stay tuned for more!

More News on Origami Bouquets for Oncology

Delivered about 20 origami bouquets to one of the oncology coordinators.

Here is the report from her first delivery –   I just delivered three of the flowers to the inpatient oncology unit at Littleton.   The first lady was so grateful.  The second one couldn’t quit smiling.   And the third was a very weak, tiny, elderly lady who looked to be of Japanese descent.  Her face lit up like sunshine.   She had a pillow in her lap so I laid it on the pillow.   Later, when I was leaving, I peeked in on her.  She was asleep with the flowers in her hand.   This morning one of the Radiation Therapists took one to put by the machines so patients could see it when they walked in for treatment.   I would say that the first four made the day for a lot of people.