JULY 2022

Exciting things are happening this month at Bree's Blessings! Check out information on our open house, ribbon cutting, and updates about our wish gifts!

JUNE WISH KIDS

 

This sweet girl wanted a karaoke machine for her wish gift. We gifted her a Bluetooth karaoke machine with 2 wireless mics and 2 dance lights so she could have karaoke parties with her family. She was so thrilled to receive her gift!

Artist of the Month

Our artist this month is Brennan! Brennan loves drawing, and has been an outlet for him throughout his treatments for ALL. He loves Star Wars, Legos, nature, animals, and space!

 

Bree's Blessings Open House

On Sunday, June 12, Bree's Blessings hosted an open house at our new office location! We were excited to see all of Bree's buddies and explain and introduce some of our programs. Our new space will allow us to hold workshops, demonstrations, and fun activities with our cancer families. We are excited for fun new things to come!

Bree's Blessings Ribbon Cutting

Tuesday, June 21st, Bree's Blessings joined with Scott County Chamber of Commerce by partaking in a ribbon-cutting at their new location at 68 W Wardell Street. Nicholson & Becht Orthodontics and Shelley Bundy Lakins with New Washington State Bank came out to support us and they always sponsor our annual fundraiser, Beats for Blessings. We also met some new people and it was such a nice time. Thank you to the chamber for all you do for our community! 

Bree's Blessings Crafty Corner Kickoff

Bree's Blessings is SO excited to start our Bree's Blessings Crafty Corner Program on Facebook! The Crafty Corner group is a variety of art/ music-related workshops that will engage our families and provide fun activities for the children to do from any location. We will have weekly drawing prompts, and we encourage our kids to submit their artwork in the comments! Each month we will have a featured "Artist of the Month" who will be highlighted in our monthly newsletter, and their artwork will be displayed on our office window front! If a child completes the drawing prompt each week, they will be put into a drawing to win an item to be mailed to them from our Blessings Toy Closet!

Keep a lookout for upcoming demonstrations, guest appearances, and quarterly workshops! More information to come!

Ukulele Builder Workshop to Return!

Bree's Blessings is excited to announce that our ukulele builder workshop will return on Saturday, July 23rd. The workshop will be held at Norton Cancer Institute, starting at 1 PM and lasting until 3 PM. Patients will be able to design and paint their very own ukulele!  A follow-up workshop will be held on July 30th from 1 PM until 3 PM to complete unfinished work on the ukuleles. Patients interested in creating a ukulele should call and register with the Norton Cancer Institute resource center at (502) 629-5500.

JULY CANCER AWARENESS

Sarcoma Cancer Awareness Month

  • Sarcoma is a cancer of the connective tissue, and can occur in any location in the body
  • Sarcomas are divided into two main groups, bone sarcomas and soft tissue sarcomas
  • About 13,000 people will be diagnosed with Sarcoma this year, and approximately 50% will be men and 50% will be women
  • Sarcoma is more likely to affect children and young adults rather than older adults, and more than half of those diagnosed with the disease are under 60
  • About 1% of people diagnosed with cancer are diagnosed with Sarcoma specifically
  • At any one time, there are approximately 50,000 people struggling with Sarcoma

Sarcoma is most often found in the arms and legs, where the majority of connective tissues are located, but it can occur virtually anywhere. Because the disease often starts deep in the body, it may not be noticeable until a large lump or bump appears — and at this point the cancer may be difficult to treat.

www.sarcomalliance.org

As we celebrate our nation's freedom, we honor the courageous men and women dedicated to preserving it.

Happy Independence Day from Bree's Blessings!

Staff Spotlight:

Elizabeth Cranmer

 

 Meet board member Elizabeth! Elizabeth has been on the board since Day 1. Elizabeth loves being part of Bree's Blessings because it makes her feel close to Bree. "I've been  Jenni's best friend for years. The smile on the children's faces is my favorite part." Helping children is her passion. When she is not helping Bree's Blessings, Elizabeth owns and cares for kids at her daycare and preschool. Elizabeth's favorite event is Beats for Blessings. "It's a lot of work leading up to, but once the day comes it's a complete blast dressing up in our them. All of our families & friends can let loose & just have fun."

In her free time she enjoys traveling, reading, music, art, dirt racing with my husband, spending time with my little blended family, spoiling my grandbabies & spending time with friends & family. 

 

 

From the President's Desk

I've decided to dedicate a portion of the newsletter to issues pertaining to grief. Unfortunately, it's a reality many parents face. We lost 8 of our Bree's Blessings kiddos last year. That's 8 families whose lives are forever changed. This month I'd like to focus on how to approach a parent who has lost a child. This could pertain to any person who's suffered a loss, regardless of who or what it is. In general, we as a society think of death as taboo. We feel uncomfortable talking about. We don't know what to say or do, so we say everything that's ever been said to us or around us, not knowing that it's hurtful. 

 

Speaking from personal experience, I can say that not mentioning the loss is a lot more hurtful than mentioning it. Just because our child is gone, does not mean that we forgot them. It's hurtful to not hear their name. Think of how many times a day you speak your child's name. Imagine waking up tomorrow and never talking about your child out of fear of making someone feel uncomfortable. 


From a young age we learn about death. Parents take the time to explain that Aunt Mary went to heaven. We explain they are with God or whatever your belief system is. We also teach our children inappropriate ways to cope with the loss. Instead of dealing with the loss we do anything we can to make it "better" because it's uncomfortable and we don't like to feel awkward. 

 

So, what do you do? What do you not do? First of all, do not attempt to pretend like the loss never happened. Not mentioning it or acknowledging it is the worst thing you can do. Talk about it. Say their name. Share your favorite memory. Tell your favorite quality about that person. Secondly, don't try to fix it. There is no fixing it. Acknowledge the loss, let your person talk about it, and help them through it.

 

In the past 6 months or so, I've read on social media sites where some of my friends' kids had experienced loss. The immediate response was to replace the loss and/or make the child feel better. That carries into adulthood. It's ok for your child to feel sad about their loss, it teaches them to cope and heal in a healthy and natural way. When their hamster or goldfish dies, use it as a teaching opportunity. Replacing the loss is a temporary fix and one that is not helpful. How many times have you felt bad or sad and someone says, "Here, I baked you some cookies"? That is a very kind gesture but doesn't fix anything. In fact, it can have damaging effects by teaching the child/person to cope by means of emotional eating.  

This is a short list of things that are hurtful to say to someone experiencing a loss: 

  • Everything happens for a reason 
  • It's God's plan or God needed another angel
  • He/she is in a better place
  • At least you still have another kid (or you can still have kids) 
  • Try to stay busy, it'll do you some good
  • They wouldn't want you to be sad
  • You need to be strong for your loved ones

 

Every one of these things are somewhat inappropriate and insensitive. No one wants to accept that their loss is all part of a greater plan. That leads to anger and confusion. If God needed another angel, why did he have to take mine? Why not another one? They may be in a better place, but they were just fine here with me. Yes, I have another child and I'm grateful for that, but it doesn't replace the significant loss I'm experiencing. Staying busy is not a good coping mechanism and does not help you heal. Instead, your grief will linger far longer because it hasn't been dealt with appropriately. I know this firsthand. No, my child wouldn't want me to be sad, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm heartbroken. I am sad. Lastly, you can be sad and acknowledge and feel your grief and still be there for your loved ones. Maybe this is the time to step in and help the person experiencing a loss, so they don't have to be the strong one. Let them feel what they feel. 

 

This might seem a little counterintuitive - quite the opposite of everything we've been taught or learned through observing others. I hope this helps shed some insight on how to help those you love and not hurt them through ill worded, overused phrases. Say their name. 

 

Upcoming Dates:

 

July 9th - Family Fun Day on the Farm at Huber's - Volunteers Needed.

July 23rd - Ukulele Builder Workshop (Part 1)

July 30th - Ukulele Builder Workshop (Part 2)

September 10th - A Night to Remember Childhood Cancer Walk 

October 15th - 3rd Annual Go Gold fore the Kids Golf Scramble 

December 3rd - 3rd Annual Beats for Blessings 

PO Box 206 Scottsburg, IN 47170
(812) 799-9290

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