March 28, 2013

www.thechemobag.com
www.facebook.com/TheCHEMOBag

What an amazing morning!

Last night we checked and double checked all the bags, counted them properly (48) and put them in the back of our van in anticipation of bringing them to Lehigh Valley Hospital Muhlenberg Campus this morning at 10.

I knew in advance that we would be met by the infusion center director and a photographer. What I didn’t know was that we would also be met by a hospital “big boss” and a man who would be writing an article for a hospital publication. A few days back I had signed a consent form stating that they may use pictures of Michelle that may be taken today. I also provided them with a photo of Michelle but I was unsure of why they needed that. Now I know why.

Lehigh Valley Hospital currently is promoting a “Superhero” campaign and if you live here in the Lehigh Valley then you may have seen a billboard or two with a child on it. That child has a thought bubble and in that thought bubble is an animated picture of the child as a Superhero. We now have a photo of Michelle as a Superhero. She also has a cape. A red superhero cape. How cool is that?

We were brought immediately to the infusion center where the director and Michelle began to hand out bags to the patients. To be honest I was unsure at the time if that was a good idea. An infusion center can be a scary place; some folks in there appear to be awfully sick. But Michelle was a trooper. Politely introducing herself to the patients, explaining to them the idea behind The CHEMO Bag and showing them each and every item inside the bag. She was followed by a photographer and  her dad and I as we answered questions for the article they are writing.

The patients were kind, treated Michelle with respect and seemed quite pleased with the items in their bag. No two bags were the same so each patient got something a little bit different from the other patients. We even received a monetary donation from a family member (friend?) of one of the patients. As a mom, I was quite impressed with how Michelle handled herself. She behaved like a mature little lady and was kind to the patients. Sometimes a cancer patient can feel like a freak, at least I know I did at times, so to have a young person talk to you as if having a port, an IV bag hanging and a bald head was a perfectly natural everyday occurrence must be a good feeling. She even received a hug or two from the patients.

We then took a break in the delivery for Michelle to have a little photo shoot. She put on her superhero cape and posed some crazy superhero poses for the photographer. I am not sure what exactly will be done with those photos, but I can’t wait to find out. I have asked for copies of all the photos for our own use and was told they would need to crop out the patients in the photos so that we can use them on our webpage or facebook page. But I suppose that whatever publication they put the photos in will have pictures of Michelle with the patients as I saw the patients signing consent forms. For the privacy of the patients we didn’t take any pictures of Michelle handing out the bags.

After the little photo shoot we returned to the infusion center so that Michelle could hand out a few more bags.

The people from Lehigh Valley Hospital Muhlenberg Campus really made Michelle feel good. We didn’t start this project so that she could become a “superhero”, we started this project so that we could, in Michelle’s words, “make people smile, and let them know we care.” I am glad they made a bit of a fuss over her, and I am glad the patients reacted so positively to her as this will help keep her motivated to continue promoting our charity and getting more people involved.

Not every bag delivery will be like today’s, but I am blessed that today happened the way it did.

And I have you to thank for making Michelle’s idea a reality.

 

What You Can Do

Being told you have cancer, any cancer, is absolutely devastating not just for the person with the diagnosis but also for all the people who love and care for that person. When someone you know is diagnosed with cancer you want to know what you can do to help. How can you make it easier for the other person?

 I also believe it can devastate the people who stand on the fringes of the diagnosed person’s life. Because being on the opposite side of that fence can make you face your own mortality. There you are just minding your own business when suddenly you realize the grass isn’t greener over there on that side of the fence. This can happen to anyone, at anytime, with absolutely no warning. You could be next.

My own cancer treatments began with major surgery and just when I started to feel whole again the chemo began to flow. During this time I do have to say “I was lucky”. My friends were strong, my family was stronger and even folks I barely know chipped in to help. Meals were delivered on a regular schedule (www.takethemameal.com) and child care was a phone call away. Magazines turned up regularly in my mailbox to help me pass the time, emails were sent daily, cards were mailed, text messages were received and prayers were lifted. Hats were made for me, candles and lotions were given to me. I was surrounded with love and the good wishes of so many.

I can never thank everyone who helped me properly, or enough.

Which is why Michelle’s idea has become a reality. This is a way to give back, and it helps all those people out there who say “I wish there was something that I could do” to do something. You can help. You can help a lot of people. If you donate 20 bottles of hand lotion then you have just helped 20 people. If you get creative and feel whimsical and donate 10 beautiful, lace covered sleep masks then you have made 10 people smile. It’s really quite simple. And believe me when I say that the gifts you provide will be very appreciated. A person going thru cancer treatments is very likely to see a dip in their household income so that Burt’s Bee’s Lip Balm…? That is going to make someone’s day.

There can never be enough…because there will always be someone new diagnosed with cancer. Every day, at infusions centers all over the world, someone is getting their first infusion.

And you and I? We are going to make that person feel less lonely. We are going to make that person think “wow…there are wonderful people in this world”. We are going to make a difference, one bag at a time.

How awesome is that??

A Blog About Bags

I have high hopes that The CHEMO Bag will take off in a big way. There has already been such a positive response from so many people; family, friends and strangers. There is already one fundraiser in April (more on that later) and one being planned for Pinktober…uh…I mean October (more on that later too). And there is another fund raiser being considered and some “big news” that I have been teasing people about on Facebook but as of yet I don’t have a confirmation on that so I cannot not talk about it (or the fundraiser being considered) for fear of jinxing myself.

Which is so hard for me….to not talk about it that is….

But I can share this with you. On Thursday March 28, 2013 we will be bringing our first batch of bags to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg campus in Bethlehem PA where I am (still) undergoing treatment for my particular cancer.

Let me tell you about infusion centers. Or at least, my particular infusion center. The people who work there are the nicest bunch of people you “never wanted to meet”. And I mean that with all my heart. There isn’t a person at my infusion center that I don’t adore. The women at the check in desk. The nurses. The volunteers. They are all wonderful. Does it sound weird to say I look forward to seeing them? It’s a horrible place to have to go to, but if you have to be there the best you can hope for is a group of caring individuals who are on your team. Who take the time to know the person that you are and not just the disease you carry.

 I went to the infusion center every week for 20 weeks, and I still go every third week until mid July. And I think after my last visit I will cry. And I will hug everyone there. And I will want to see them again under better circumstances.

The CHEMO Bags are for the patients, of course…but I can’t stop thinking about what I can do for my team. Yes, that is what I consider all these people. They are my team. They have listened to me cry, alleviated my fears and made me laugh. These are “my people”. And they deserve some recognition too. I’m going to have to think about this some more…

…but this is a blog about bags and so it’s bags that I will talk about.

Over 40 bags are ready to go now. And by March 28 I could have about 20 more lined up. Our original goal was 60 bags by May 1, 2013 and here we are with 40 bags already filled. Ready. All we need to do yet is attach the cards to the outside of the bags. And the only reason I haven’t done that yet is because I still want to get more signatures on the cards. This is one of the things that we are doing that makes me the most excited…getting signatures on a card. How wonderful will it be for the recipient of a bag to see all those signatures, to know that all those strangers care?

But my friends, my donation pile is running low. If you asked what did we “need” right now I would say: lap blankets (neutral colors for men and women), hard candies (lemon-heads), note pads and pens.

We can’t do this by ourselves and we need to keep the ball rolling. Please consider donating again, or sharing this info with your family and friends.

There are so many people who will thank you.

Welcome!

Hi and welcome to The CHEMO Bag’s blog. We are excited to share all our happening with you and encourage you to become excited too!

But first, some background information. Last Oct (2012) as I was coming to the end of my chemo infusions my daughter Michelle (who was 7 at the time) and I were watching TV as a young man on the west coast was honored for his dedication to making chemo bags for breast cancer patients. Michelle and I watched silently as he was honored and when it was over she looks at me and says “Mommy, don’t you have a bag you always take to chemo?” I said “Yes” and she says “Everyone should have a bag mommy; we could make bags for people who have to have chemo, not just women with breast cancer but all people, even kids, because kids get chemo too.”

Of course as a mother I was proud of my daughter for making a suggestion like this, but as a woman who was beaten down and exhausted from months of chemo I replied “That sounds like a good idea honey but let’s wait till after the holidays before we really think about doing something like that.” Michelle then got up, got a piece of paper and wrote on it CHEMO like this:

C

H

E

M

O

And then asked me to write these words following the letters:

Caring

Helping

Encouraging

Motivating

Others.

Ahhh…the mind of a 7 year old. I once again told her it was a wonderful idea, but really, we had to wait till the New Year before giving it much more thought.

You would think that as a 7 year old this idea would leave her sweet little brain as easily as it had arrived. But it didn’t. Over the next two months Michelle continued to talk about it, to make lists of what we would need to put in the bags, to draw designs to use for our logo and to think of ways we could raise funds and get donations. As I returned to the world of the living and began regaining my strength and sensibilities I realized that this idea she had was actually do-able and her excitement over her idea became contagious. I talked to a few people about it that were willing to guide and assist me and late on Dec. 31, 2012 I wrote on my private Facebook wall that Michelle had this idea, that we were going to do it and that we needed help getting started. I asked my Facebook friends if they would be willing to donate or help in anyway….

….5 minutes later The CHEMO Bag had raised $1,000. No joke. And since then we have raised $400 more. 15 days later we had a website, a Facebook page and most importantly, we had a plan.

Many, many items have been donated to help fill the bags. We have hats for men and women, neck pillows, hand sanitizer, tissues, angel pins, puzzle books, pens, socks, hard candies, prayer shawls, cards of encouragement, bottled water, Biotine toothpaste and mouthwash, candles…the list goes on. There is a fundraiser planned for April, another one in the works for the fall, a CPA willing to donate his time to get us official nonprofit  status once tax season is over and a professional fund-raiser donating her time to help us market and reach a bigger audience.

The bags were purchased, a friend made a silk screen for us, the logo was chosen and some bags have been made. And filled. And one was sent to CA and one was given to a friend for a co-worker.

But the plan is to bring them to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg Campus where I am undergoing my cancer treatments, where I had my chemo. If we can, if we maintain the help and generous donations of so many wonderful people, we will expand.

Today I received some statistics from LVH-M. 1,590 people received chemo there last year.

Staggering number isn’t it?