Great Way to Help Improve Cancer Treatment!

I have been a registered user on iGive for a couple of months and thought I should use this blog to let you know about this awesome group.

There is a group of parents whose children have been diagnosed with Neuroblastoma who have joined together to raise money to humanize a really effective treatment currently in use in New York. The main drawback of this treatment is that it is created using mouse genes, and humans develop a resistance to this and the treatment cannot continue. But it has been found to greatly improve success in NB kids. They only need $2 million to make this a human form of treatment and that will remove the risk of resistance, meaning more kids will be able to use the treatment. I am sure I am leaving out a bunch of details in this, but you can search for it on the Band Of Parents website.

When you register with iGive, every time you purchase something online from over 600 retailers they partner with, a donation will be made to your charity. I registered with iGive, and everytime I pull up ebay or bluefly or babiesrus, the list goes on and on...I get a little pop up window that says this retailer participates in the iGive program and it lists the percentage of your purchase they will donate. What an EASY way to raise money! But it takes many people registering with this program in order to be successful. Some donations are only 2 percent, so it takes a lot of folks (who are probably already shopping online).

Go to Band of Parents website or iGive for more information or to sign up. If you follow the iGive link on Band of Parents' site, it already has their charity information filled in for you. It is very simple and you might even forget about it after you sign up, but if you ever just browse on a website and see the window, you will know that whatever you purchase will go to help save more children's lives!

With HOPE,
Tammy

Look! A New Post!!

Okay, so after another mom has expressed her concern over this blog, I am updating it! Happy, Melissa? ha!
There are several kids in the area who need some encouragement these days. I will give you the links and you can check out their websites to see what's been going on with them.
Jensen: Just had his tumor resection (removal) today and it is his 3rd birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENSEN!
Emma: Was in the hospital for a little while with a fever, but she is back on track with getting her chemo
Angel Stash: His mom and dad just moved to a new house, I know it was hard and she also organized a blood drive in his memory!

As for ChemoMoms, I have continued to take the baskets to the hospital. It seems there are more kids being diagnosed with this nightmare lately. Unfortunately we are out of storage space so they can only keep 3 baskets at a time. It is a little difficult to contact the social worker since she is so busy, so sometimes they might go have a period with no baskets, but hopefully that will get better.
Keep your eyes open for an upcoming Movie Night. There are a few DVDs out now that I think will be good for the kids, so we will probably be doing that soon. Also, I am already planning out the July 4th party. Unfortunately our family vacation begins on July 3, so I won't be able to be at the party, but I think the folks I have in mind will be able to handle the party this year. I am still going to set it all up, but just not be at the party itself.
I have 6 more bracelets to take to the hospital tomorrow. Hopefully they will sell quickly and I can turn that money into more bracelets and more baskets!
Don't think about this too hard, but it is time to start planning for SEPTEMBER - CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS MONTH. I hope to get the ball rolling at the hospital in the next month or so - I REALLY want lots of Gold Ribbons around town in September.

Fundraiser for ChemoMoms!!!

A friend of mine who lives out of state is hosting an "eShow" of Usborne Books. Check out her website below and see if there are any books or games you might want to purchase. She is donating a portion of her sales to ChemoMoms!!!

THANK YOU KELLIE!
*****************************************
You are invited to an Usborne Books eShow to explore the world of Usborne Books. A child's interest in reading and learning is stimulated by the lavish illustrations and informative content. There are over 1300 bright, colorful and fun titles covering activities, puzzles and a wide range of subjects for children of all ages.

Usborne Books - the books kids love to read!

Hosted by: Kellie Brown
Place: www.ubah.com/HOS110600
When: Today thru 3/23/2008 11:59:00 PM
Chat Scheduled: -

Everyone is welcome, so invite a friend.

It's a rewarding experience when a child opens a book and discovers the magic of reading. =

Please check out the site. There are lots of great books for all ages! They have great science and history encyclopedias as well as books w/CD. As a new Usborne consultant my "incentive" period ends with the close of this show. I am donating 25% of free books earned from this show to a cancer "ChemoMom" support group in Mobile, AL. Thanks for your support! Pass it along to a friend. Blessings, Kellie

Hello Thursday!

Hi there. I am glad you found me.
I have not received any financial donations in a while, so I am asking if you want something to go directly to a certain mom, please type her name in while making a donation through Paypal. I receive the money immediately and I can go and purchase something for her the same day!

I am thinking Jensen's mom would really go for a salad from Olive Garden, especially since last month when no one was able to take her one. I can do it tomorrow, Friday, or on Saturday. Or both! :D

If you would like me to purchase something else for her, please let me know. I keep a supply of items used in the ChemoMoms baskets so I may create another little goody bag with hand sanitizer, lotion, chapstick, etc. just to have a "Thinking of You" gift to take her. Or, if anyone knows her favorite Bath & Body Works scent, I could pick up something there. I am more than willing to do anything for her. And I will make sure she knows who it's from - I am just the messenger!

With HOPE,
Tammy

Curing Childhood Cancer Tags

Did you know that anyone in the state of Alabama can purchase a Curing Childhood Cancer car tag when you renew your tag???

That's right - there is a tag available that costs an additional $50, but you can personalize it for nothing extra or take a random numbered one on the spot. Out of the $50 fee, $41.25 goes to Colette's doctor's office in Birmingham, UAB Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, located in Children's Hospital.

What if some of the folks who pay the $50 fee just to have their vehicle personalized actually chose a cancer tag instead? When Deidre Downs was Miss America, she promoted the tags since her platform was curing childhood cancer. She worked closely with Birmingham's Dan Sims, father of leukemia patient Janie Sims, who passed away a few years ago. Dan even provided gifts for Colette when she was in stem cell for Christmas 2005. I am proud to know another parent who was so driven to help other area kids, he created the Janie Sims Foundation and provided the whole parent lounge on 4 Tower at Children's.

So here is the deal - PLEASE tell your family and friends that they can REALLY help Colette and other children from around the state by purchasing the tag when they renew. You don't have to get it personalized, one we did and one we didn't. The first one we bought said CLTTE and that is the special one to me. You don't see a lot of folks in Mobile with these tags and that makes me sad!! When you go to Birmingham, you see TONS AND TONS - that was a game we played when we drove up the parking deck going to the hospital. We counted over 30 cars with the tags as we drove up the different levels. If you buy one, please let me know - Colette would like to send you a little gift for your thoughtfulness!

With HOPE,
Tammy

^Stash^

Another sweet baby has lost his battle against cancer here on earth - Stash Phillips

Please visit his caringbridge site to leave some encouragement for his family. They will have to adjust to their new life and I can't even pretend to know how they feel right now. Just telling them that people are praying for them and showing their encouragement is probably all we can do at this time.

With HOPE,
Tammy

What a Great Holiday!

I hope everyone had a great holiday - we did! Having been through cancer treatment only solidifies the importance of a holiday like Christmas - love, sacrifice, humility, faith and HOPE.

Fortunately, the little 2 yr old girl was able to go home on the night before I was to take the tree, so she could be home for Christmas and come back afterwards. So I still have a raspberry Christmas tree. BUT, other things happened. Stash's mom bought some gifts from her own money and wanted to take them to the kids, so I met her on Saturday morning and we passed out a wagon-full of gifts. Afterwards I took her to Spot of Tea since she had never been and it's such a girly place! We talked and had a few laughs. I think it was good for her and I was happy I was able to do it for her.

On Friday, I was able to meet with Jensen's mom. We talked for a while and it brought back a lot of memories for me, sitting in the room, the chemo smells, etc. It has been 2 years since Colette had chemo, but it is something you never forget. His mom set up a caringbridge site so go and leave them some encouragement!

I am also waiting to hear from the hospital when the little girl is able to have visitors again. I received some donated Christmas gifts for her (she is a cutie!) and I want to take them to her after her surgery.

With HOPE,
Tammy