Delivering the First 50 Totes!

This past Sunday we decided what better way to spend the day then to head up to Huntsman to deliver the totes after our beautiful Christmas program at church.

We had been given the option of hand delivering the totes to each patient's room and those in the infusion center receiving chemo-therapy treatments or dropping them off at the hospital and having the staff pass them out to the patients.

After really thinking about it, we realized that walking into each room and seeing these patients going through what our sweet Ben has, in the same hospital that we visited Ben many times would just be too emotional.  We knew it would not be fair to those patients to see us get emotional as well, because we were trying to bring them some joy and comfort.  So we opted to drop them off in the Volunteer Workroom and let the staff pass them out.

This way we were also able to let the grand kids come along.  Nobody under 14 is allowed into the patient rooms because of germs, so they wouldn't have been able to come if we had delivered them to the patients.

It was very rewarding seeing those cute grand kids load up the cart we borrowed and slinging totes over their arms carrying them in, and knowing that we are making a difference - hopefully - to these people. 

As we were finishing up and leaving, the girl at the information desk told us she was really blown away and has never seen a donation of this size come in - especially from one group.  She was even more shocked when we told her that this was only half of it and the rest was coming in January!

And here is a little sneak peak at the card Emily made that we put into each tote as well:

We vacillated between putting "In Memory Of" or "In Honor Of", and decided that because we know he is terminal, and know he will be leaving us very soon that "In Memory Of" is appropriate.  We could not possibly love the quote Emily found any more.  It is BEYOND perfect.  We can all imagine Ben saying those words to us.

I can't BELIEVE how much we were able to accomplish for this project.  The love, kindness and generosity we have been shown has been overwhelming.  So thank you again - from the bottom of my heart!

"Get Well" Cards Needed

Two examples of cards

If you are looking for an easy little service project to get your kids involved with, consider making some "Get Well" cards to go in our Huntsman Totes!  We had originally planned to have the grand kids make all the cards, but when the Tote project took off and got as big as it has, we realized that having 10 little kids (3 of which are babies...so really 7 little kids) make 100+ cards was just too much.  So I am opening this up to everybody now!

Ben has every card/picture/note drawn by the kids hanging on his mantle and railing where he can see them every day.  He won't let anybody take them down or change them out.  They are important to him, so we think cards from children are important to add to the totes.

You can see many of the cards behind him hanging on the railing...his mantle is just as full.  He LOVES his nieces and nephews.

We have just given our kids construction paper, markers and stickers and let them do whatever they want.  We wrote things like "Get Well Soon" or "Have a Happy Day" as well as "From {Child's First Name}, Age {child's age}". 

Unlike with other donations, I do need to know ahead of time if you are wanting to do this so I can have a running total of cards.

I am not limiting how many we need, just wanting to know if I will have enough to put more than one in each tote.  The patients won't mind having a stack of "Get Well" cards if we get enough.  So that is not a concern.

We are delivering our first 50 totes on Sunday.  The other 50 will go out after the New Year (sometime early January...no set date yet).

If you are interested, you can email me at camille.davis1@gmail.com and I can either get you an address to mail them to us (if you live far away) or drop them off, or you can give me an address to pick them up.

Thank You!

Assembling Huntsman Totes

This past weekend, my family got together to assemble our first 50 Huntsman Totes!   We were gearing up for it to take a while - which we were happy to do - but because of having so many wonderful and helpful grandchildren, I think we got them done in about 30 minutes.  It was super slick!

We set the kids up at a table with an item or two that they were in charge of.  Then the adults put a few items in the totes, and walked around the table while the kids dropped their things in.  

Here they are...all packed up and ready to go.  

(Except the blankets.  They don't fit inside the tote, so they are in a box on the floor and will go separately.)

I also realized that some people may not have understood exactly what we were doing.  I was having a conversation with somebody about our project, and they were asking me some specifics.  So I started listing off the items we were putting in each tote, and she stopped me and said, "Wait, you're putting ALL of that in to each and every tote?"  

And that - my friends - is why we have been so incredibly blown away with the generosity we have been shown.  Our totes are full of items to help cancer patients be comfortable.  And we have had enough to make at least 100 of them!

So to help illustrate better just how much we have received, I decided I better disassemble a tote and take a picture of the contents for all to see.  Every tote includes:  A Blanket, Funny Stories Booklet, "Get Well" card drawn by the grandkids, Magazine, Puzzle Book, Notebook, Socks, Warm Beanie Hat, 2 Pens, Playing Cards, Lotion, White Cotton Gloves (to put on after lotion), Biotene Mouthwash, Gum, Breath Mints, SPRY Mints, Tissues, Fingernail File, Lip Balm, Hand Sanitizer, Scarf, Winter Gloves and a Treat Bag.  We will also be adding a special card honoring Ben.

Socks, Beanie, Gloves, Scarf, Sanitizer, Treat bag, Lip Balm, Tissue, Nail file, Cotton gloves, Breath mints, SPRY mints, Lotion, Biotene Mouthwash

Funny Stories (made up of family blog posts and other fun stuff), Get Well card, playing cards, gum, magazines, notebook, puzzle book, pens.

Blanket, Tote bag

So, there you have it.  We plan to deliver these when my sister Emily is in town right before Christmas, because she wanted to be involved.  We will then assemble the other 50 + and deliver them at another time.

I know I have said it a million times, and I will say it a million more.  But THANK YOU to all that made this amazing project possible.  I cannot express how grateful I am that we are able to do this to honor Ben.

Thank You!

A Birthday To Remember

*Addendum at the end...another service opportunity that Ben cares about*

WE DID IT!!!

We have now officially reached our goal of making 100 totes! ONE HUNDRED! AMAZING!

We will still gladly take donations and continue making totes as long as we can. You can find the original list of items needed by clicking here.

Thank you to everyone who has helped make this possible!

Now excuse me while I shift gears.

I can't think of a better day for this goal to have happened.

You see, today (12/12/12) just so happens to be Ben's 32nd birthday.  As my sister Emily said, "He's not a newborn, but today is definitely a miracle birthday".  

My sweet, amazing, courageous brother is nearing the end of his life.  You can tell he is worn out, exhausted and ready to go on to his mission in heaven.  But his body is a strong one and is putting up a good fight against this darn cancer.  So, he got to live to see another milestone with his sweet Sara, always by his side.

I can't think of a better way to honor him, than to officially say that we will be donating 100+ "Essential Totes" to Huntsman Cancer Institute in his honor.

Ben - your name will be in every single one.  The people receiving these will know that they are made from countless people who love and care about you.  

Your name will go on doing good in this world long after you have gone.  

And although you have never been one for hoopla, fanfair, attention or being fussed over...YOU DESERVE THIS and more.  

Thank you for the example of patience, unconditional love, loyalty, endurance, courage and faith.

I love you!

Many people love you!

And I'm sure those in heaven are anxious to have you back.  But I'm glad they are waiting patiently while we spend these precious moments with you.

And one more thing I am stealing from Sara's Blog to think about:

Since we have reached 100 totes already, if you would like to help Ben and contribute to things he cares about I would also ask that you consider helping out Oaklynn. This is our cousin's little girl. She was born with Rett syndrome. Rett syndrome causes symptoms of autism, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's and anxiety all in one little girl. She can't walk and she can't talk. As you can imagine, this is a huge ordeal for any family and the bills start piling up. 

A little love and help goes a long way.

Oaklynn's darling mom, Whitney, is currently selling t-shirts in which a portion of the money goes to Oaklynn's benefit fund. These t-shirts would make a great Christmas gift or stocking stuffer and it would give much more to the receiver than a simple t-shirt.

Click HERE to purchase one of these t-shirts to help Oaklynn get the care she needs. They are only $13. Whitney needs to get at least 50 shirts purchased to be able to put the order through. Right now 16 have been purchased. Let's help get those other 34 sold!

Plus the shirt is so cute! Just look at it! Perfect for a runner too!

Please visit her website My Silent Angels Fight

Let's be Oaklynn's angels.

We love you more than anything and may God bless you in this wonderful Christmas Season.

First Goal - ACCOMPLISHED!

*NOTE - NEW ITEM ADDED TO LIST - BEANIES/KNIT HATS*
We have already had an amazing response, and have all of our hats.  WOW!  THANK YOU!

When I first made my goal of putting together 50 totes for Huntsman Cancer Institute, I was worried that I had set my sights too high, and that we wouldn't make it there.  I was worried that my ambitious declaration would fall a little short.  I knew that no matter how many we were able to make, it would be a good thing...but I REALLY wanted to make a big impact by donating 50 totes.

Well...I am happy to announce that we have officially reached that goal!  

The donation pile as of December 1st.  Since then many of these piles have doubled...and some new piles have been formed.

Mints, gum, Starbursts, Paper, Puzzle books, Playing cards, Magazines

Chapstick, Sanitizer, Lotion, Biotene mouthwash, Nail files

Totes, blankets, socks

And the even better news...we are now close to having 70 totes*.

I wish - SO MUCH - that I could personally thank every single person responsible for getting us here, but there are so many anonymous givers and organizations with multiple people that I am not sure that is possible.  But if you happen to be reading this...THANK YOU!

I am blown away at 1. The kindness and generosity people have shown, and 2. The power of social media.  

I know there are many who have given that personally know Ben, and want to do this to honor him.  But I also know there are many that have never met him...or even anyone in my family...that have helped and given to our cause.

So I say - again - THANK YOU!

As another announcement, I am now making a NEW goal.  100 totes!   I will keep the list on my blog updated to get us to the new goal.  We will also be extending our deadline for donations to the end of December/beginning of January.  

We will still assemble and deliver our first 50 totes before Christmas as planned, but we will continue gathering and assembling as many as we are able to.

So...100 totes, here we come!

*We are at about 70 totes with the combination of items donated as well as monetary donations

THANK YOU!

I cannot even begin to express how incredibly overwhelmed, and grateful I am for the enormous amount of support we have received for the Huntsman Institute Cancer totes!

What I expected to be a small way to honor my brother has exploded into something that is going to be HUGE!  People are coming out of the wood work to offer anything they can. 

THANK YOU, THANK YOU...a hundred times...THANK YOU!

If only the English language didn't limit me to those two words to express my gratitude. 

We are getting closer to our first goal of making 50 totes...and hopefully we will surpass it!  We will make as many totes as we possibly can with the donations.  

I have been trying to keep my list updated of what we still need, so that is a good place to start for anyone wondering what they can do.  We also accept monetary donations to buy anything we will need to make all the totes work out evenly.   

As I think about the joy and comfort we may be able to bring into these patient's lives, in honor of my AMAZING brother Ben, it just overwhelms me, and has brought me to tears more than once.  Every time I get to walk by the living room that is being taken over by donations, I feel SO happy and excited.

So I just want to say - again - THANK YOU!

You can read the whole post here, or scroll down.

Huntsman Cancer Institute Donations

{A running total of items still needed can be found on the right of the blog.  If you donated money, we have used it to purchase the items already crossed off of the list, or are saving it to fill in any gaps we may need to make all the completed totes.  THANK YOU!}

* See FAQ at the bottom*

With the Christmas season approaching, I have been trying to come up with a way we can incorporate some service into our celebration.  Especially to help teach my young children about the true meaning of Christmas.  I have been wracking my brain, wondering what we could do.  And then the idea hit me this morning.  

Gather items to donate to the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

My sweet brother has spent a lot of time in hospitals, including Huntsman, during his cancer battle.  We know that it can be a sad and lonely place, and that not everyone has the amazing support that my brother has in his incredible wife, Sara.  I wanted to do something to help other patients fighting cancer.  So I started doing some research, and have decided I want to make "Essential Totes" for patients that are on an extended stay.  

This is where I ask for the support of all of my family, friends and even strangers. I will gather donations from now until mid-December.  We will then assemble and deliver the items with my girls (if they are allowed) as we get closer to Christmas.  If you feel like you could help out, PLEASE do.  We have seen the incredible suffering that cancer patients go through first-hand.  We have seen the ones that are lonely as well, and it is heart breaking.  If you would prefer to donate money, I can use that to buy supplies as well.  I can take checks, cash or PayPal (there is a button over on the right to donate).

Here are the items I will need (items must be new):

Tote (big enough to fit a magazine)

Fleece Blanket/Snuggie

Unscented Healing Lotion

Hand Sanitizer

Lip Balm (Burts Bees)

Beanies/Knit Hats

Travel size tissues

Puzzle Books

 Paper/Journal

Magazines

Cotton Gloves (to put on after lotion application)

Warm Comfy Non-Skid Socks

Playing Cards

Biotene Mouthwash

Gum

Mints/ SPRY Mints 

Starbursts

Life Savers

Warm scarves

Knit winter gloves (for being out in the cold)

I know that things are tight around Christmas...I have 4 kids, I get it...but if you could find any wiggle room to give, it would mean a great deal to us.  I plan on including a note in each bag saying that these are dedicated to Ben...the strongest person I've ever known.

Thank you in advance!

P.S. I promise to document this and put pictures on the blog as well.

FAQ:

What is the cost of one completed tote if I want to cover the cost of one?

The cost of one tote will be approximately $25.  

When do you need donations by?

We need all donations by DECEMBER 10th 
We have EXTENDED the deadline and will be collecting donations as long as they continue coming in!

What items do you think you will get the most/least of?  I want to help, but don't want to donate things you will get an over abundance of.

I will keep an updated list on the right of my blog as items come in. 

Do you prefer money or items to be donated?

We are happy with ALL donations!  Money is great, because we can purchase whatever we need to make these totes work out evenly.  But if you already have items to donate at home, or want to go to the store to have a more hands-on experience with this, then that is fantastic as well!

If you have any other questions, please email me: camille.davis1@gmail.com 

Check out Sara's blog as well!