Awareness and a Way to Help

Since September 2009, I'm more aware of cancer in the world.  It's not that I ignored it before.  If  I heard of someone with cancer, I felt sympathetic.  Now when I hear about someone with cancer, it's a different feeling.  A knowing feeling because I think I have a better understanding of what it means to have cancer.  To fight cancer.  To have cancer change my life. 

In my life, I also am fortunate to know many people who I've never met in person, but who I love just the same.  I don't know that I'd call myself a message board junkie because I'm only active on a few, but the ones I post on regularly I've been a part of for many years.

These two parts of my life took a crash course over the past few days.  One of the women I've been posting with for years, Berritt, shared that her husband has just been diagnosed with CML, Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia.  Cancer.  In a young man with a wife and children.  Just thinking about this now makes me tear up with sadness and anger and the injustice of life.  It makes me feel helpless, as I know many of my own friends and family have felt helpless since I was diagnosed with rectal cancer.

Here's the thing though.  WE DON'T HAVE TO BE HELPLESS.  There are things that will help.  Each family has a particular struggle, and this family has a hard financial struggle ahead of them.  The drugs that will help this husband and father are quite expensive and their insurance is limited.  Because of his diagnosis, he most likely won't be able to continue at his job.  Berritt is blessed with a talent for pattern making and is now full steam ahead with her business websites so she can take on the role of supporting her family.  Here's where YOU come in.  If you follow me on facebook, you know I've been spamming patterns and blogs.  So you already know some of the story.  If you'd like to read more, there are bloggers more eloquent than I who have written about this story.  You can find them HERE and HERE. 

So what can you do?  Well, if you're crafty like me, check out Berritt's patterns.  She has patterns for children at her etsy store Lille Skapet and patterns for all your electronic devices at her other etsy store, Birdiful Stitches.  As a pattern nut, I own many of them and can vouch for their ease of use.  If you don't sew, maybe you know someone who does.  Feel free to pass these links along, or just share this blog post.  I think if we all get the word out, we can make a difference to this family.

What else can you do?  Take a moment to think a positive thought or say a prayer for this family.  Berritt is one of the most generous, kind, helpful people I know.  Positive thoughts and prayers are as important, if not more important, than anything you or I can do financially.  I've always said, prayers and positive thoughts are all I need.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, to check out the links I posted, and send a little positive energy Berritt's way.