How Project Angel Hugs Began
Project Angel Hugs began with one 6 letter word … cancer … issued in the same breath with our daughter’s name, Vanessa. That was July of 1999 and she was all of 5 years of age, diagnosed with leukemia. Since then, many things in my life have changed. This is her mother, Char.
I’ve learned many medical terms such as platelets, white cells, how blood is made.
I’ve learned how to sneeze into my shoulder so not to spread germs.
I’ve learned how to read a blood report and figure out an "ANC". For those of you wondering, that counts the number of good fighting white cells in the body.
I’ve learned how to hold a child undergoing a spinal tap.
I’ve learned what bone marrow looks like…..precious….
Those are all small things compared to the big picture
I’ve learned how to pack a picnic lunch in less than 10 minutes when blood counts are high enough to go to the beach for a swim.
I’ve learned how to put a smile on my face for my children when I’ve felt like crying.
I’ve learned to turn to prayer to find strength and comfort when I felt I couldn’t go on.
I’ve learned how to put my life on hold…to take care of what was more important….my family.
I’ve learned you have to grab the moment, say the things you’ve been putting off, hug the stuffing’s out of your kids and husband, and what’s important in life…God, love, faith, family, & friends.
In Vanessa’s almost eight years of life, she showed courage, love, compassion, humor, strength, generosity, and most of all faith. So much of her precious life was spent hospitalized, receiving chemotherapy and then later a bone marrow transplant. We found out the sad news in June of 2001 that her cancer again had returned. Her decision was no more treatment. With great spirit and belief in God, she spent the next 7 weeks, having a wonderful summer swimming in her new pool we were able to set up for her, and spending time with her puppy, Buddy. In August of the same year, Vanessa passed onto her new life with the Lord. At that time….
I learned that God can give you the strength to whisper in your daughter’s ear…It’s okay…you can go now…I’ll always love you…
Due to her long hospital stays, we learned how to capture a moment here and there and have some fun.
Whether doing a craft project, having pizza with other families, receiving mail, or just spending time out of our room doing whatever to make a very difficult situation more bearable.
Days up on the cancer floor can seem endless. Waiting for tests to be done, waiting for test results to come back, waiting for blood counts to go up, waiting for chemo, waiting for tummy meds, waiting for our life to begin again, waiting….waiting…waiting.
…..and that is how Project Angel Hugs began. Trying to help fill a void, a need in these children’s lives, to help pass that time when waiting. Won’t you help us?
Angel Hugs!
Char
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