Please Read...

Today, President Obama declared September to be "National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month." Regardless of anyones' political affiliations, I strongly believe that this is a step in the right direction! Please, take a moment to read the legislation: HERE

My precious Aunt Joanne lost her battle to childhood cancer (leukemia) before I ever had the opportunity to meet her. (She was diagnosed as a teen/young adult, and bravely fought her battle with Leukemia for as long as she could.) She never had the chance to truly know the joys of the simple things in life so many take for granted: falling in love, getting married to a man that loved her, having children. Although my Aunt Joanne missed out on many things, she is always near and dear to our hearts, and her legacy lives on. I never was blessed with the opportunity to meet her (leukemia stole her away from my family much too soon), however, Aunt Joanne has blessed and touched my life by the legacy she left behind. Every time I hear a family member or a friend tell me about what an incredible young lady she was, I smile. She left an amazing legacy of positivity and hope behind for all of us to follow. Even in her darkest hour, Joanne embraced life to the fullest; she clung to her faith, and the motto of, "The Optimist Creed": Read it here. 

Despite the death sentence that was handed to her, she still lead a life with purpose, joy, and hope. She brought our family together, and still continues to do so. In my quest to put flowers on her grave several years ago, I was randomly reunited with family members that I had never met before. (That was such a special, incredible moment: to know that others had loved her so much and that she left such an impact on us all...to know that we were all united in remembering her...breathtaking!) I truly believe in my heart that Joanne had a hand in orchestrating that moment! Through that experience, I learned many amazing stories about her life. Joanne brought so many people together...people who remember her for the incredible lady she was, not just for what the leukemia took away from her. My sister and I even received an email about a year ago from one of Joanne's close friends that told us all about their friendship and the great legacy she left upon his life. I read that email often and truly cherish the heartfelt words in it. It is so amazing to learn about what an incredible person she was and the positive impact she made in the lives of others. 

I often wonder what other incredible things she could have done had her life not been cut so short by childhood cancer.

My family takes comfort in knowing that through Joanne's legacy, she has touched so, so many lives. You see, Joanne was one of the very first patients treated at St. Jude for her condition. Because of Joanne, and other children like her, there are now longer survival rates, and cures for many cancers that were once considered a death sentence. (My dad was one of the first people there to offer his bone marrow in an attempt to help save Joanne's life. It's not just about the cancer, donors (bone marrow and other) play a very vital role in research and saving lives! Please consider signing up to be a donor!). I wish that there had been a cure for my Aunt Joanne back then. I wish that I would have had the opportunity to have such an incredible aunt in my life with me today. Unfortunately, that wasn't in the cards, as a cure did not come swiftly enough.  Through Joanne's incredible legacy however, I've been impacted in amazing ways, as have my other family members, friends, and children who are now living longer from the research St. Jude has done. Because of the legacy that Joanne and countless other children have left behind, they will never be forgotten; their lives will live on! Awareness is the first step in the journey to find a cure for childhood cancers...and all cancers for that matter! These children are our future. Their lives are important! Who do you think will find cures in the future, and care for you when you are older: the very children we should be working our hardest to help! Imagine a world without these precious children for a moment...no birthdays, no laughter, no celebration, no joy...a world of loss and devastation. Well, imagine what the life is like for the families who lose their little ones to cancer. 

WE CAN DO BETTER! 

We can spread awareness and support those who are trying to find a cure so that no family ever loses a child again from cancer. 

I still find it astounding, the number of people who can automatically tell you what the pink ribbon stands for, yet they do not have the slightest clue that gold represents all of the lives touched by childhood cancers. Awareness is the crucial first step. Although I wish this legislation would have been passed decades ago, before my aunt and others ever became ill, before countless lives were lost, I am relieved that today, a positive step was made to bring awareness on the impact childhood cancers inflict on countless lives. I am happy that today people put politics and personal agendas aside in order to do what is right, and what is noble for these precious children! I am PROUD! Joanne, would be proud too! :)

If you want to learn more about childhood cancers, or offer your support, there are numerous venues that you can visit. A few include: St. Jude , The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia , www.curechildhoodcancer.org , Children's Cancer Research Fund. You can also show support by volunteering with organizations that help families who are coping with a childhood cancer diagnosis. Pet therapy teams that work with the group Ranger and I are affiliated with, regally visit with patients who are undergoing treatment and bring smiles to the families who are enduring so much. We are ALWAYS on the look out for wonderful new team members! If you think you have a pet that would make an incredible therapy animal, please send me a message. I would be happy to start you on the path towards becoming a registered therapy team through West TN Therapy Dogs. We need more incredible pets/handlers to share smiles, hugs, and joy, especially at places like St. Jude! (Even if your pet isn't a good fit for a place like St. Jude, there are countless other opportunities for a good therapy pet in our community to make a positive impact. I would love to talk to you and help you one your way!)

Other great organizations that need volunteers and donations include: The Ronald McDonald House, and the Target House both are also great organizations who provide shelter and needs for the families seeking treatment. Make-a-Wish is another great organization that tries to provide a bit of joy and hope for the families who are struggling to cope with a fatal diagnosis. Please do not feel like you are unable to help if you can't donate money! Time is one of the most important things you can give! Consider doing a fundraiser at your work or school to help fulfill a child's wish through "Make-a-Wish". Or, ask one of the housing programs what items they are in need of, and ask for canned goods/boxed items on your next birthday/wedding shower/Christmas party  etc, in lieu of presents. Those items can go a long way in helping to fully stock a kitchen at the Target or Ronald Mc Donald House for families who are living away from their homes while their children undergo treatment. There are so many things you can do to get involved and help! If you're a photographer, offer to take pictures for the families impacted, if you're a graphic artist: offer to design a poster free of charge for the next fundraiser, if you're a musician: sign up to volunteer in the hospital once a month to teach a little music class. There are runners clubs that raise money through races, golf tournaments that raise money through sport, there are cute clothing items/etc for those who like to shop. My point is that there are numerous ways to get involved! Try to find one you enjoy, and pitch in; you never know what kind of amazing impact you might have! 

I am going to end today's post with a picture of reality. It is a picture that absolutely breaks my heart. Below is a picture of what happens to children that are stricken with childhood cancers, when a cure is not found. If it upsets you, be thankful you still have tears to shed, emotions to feel, and a heart that's still beating. YOU are all able to do something about this: RAISE AWARENESS! Share your stories, make the decision to be the voice for those who no longer have one. Please do not speed through your September, through your holidays, through your upcoming year, and forget about this blog post. Please remember  that childhood cancer is inconvenient. Remember that on your most joyous occasions: your birthday, your wedding day, your holidays...all of your special moments....so many children will not get to experience your happiness and joy because there will not be a cure found quickly enough for them. Please do not go through life and forget about those who have lost so much from cancer. Remember them. Honor their legacies. Spread awareness.

This is what happens when a cure is not found in time. 

I know it's a difficult picture to look at, but I truly hope that it serves as a somber reminder of why it is so important to spread awareness and show support for childhood cancer research. My Aunt Joanne had her young life cut short because of Leukemia. No family should ever lose their precious loved ones from childhood cancer.

R.E.A.D. with Ranger!

                                                              Ranger loves to read, do you??


Ranger and I are a registered therapy team through Delta Society, Mid-South Therapy Dogs & Friends, and Intermountain Therapy Animals. We've worked really hard to get to this point, and it's been an amazing journey! (The new puppy, Mykelti is training right now to be a therapy dog as well; wish us luck!!) It takes about a year+ of straight dedication and training to really prepare a dog for all  the testing they must pass (They start out with a 10 part Canine Good Citizen test that they must pass before they can move on to the 22 part Pet Partner Skills and Aptitude Test (PPSAT) that Delta Society offers...there were also a lot of workshops, classes, and wonderful handlers/trainers that really helped get us ready to become a successful team!)


Over the summer, Ranger and I also had the pleasure of participating in one of our favorite programs thus far, R.E.A.D. (This stands for "Reading Education Assistance Dogs). R.E.A.D. is a program that was founded by Intermountain Therapy Animals in St. Lake City, Utah. It started out as a pilot program at local schools/libraries, and has skyrocketed in popularity throughout the US and other countries since it's launch! It was founded to help at-risk children, children with learning disabilities, and children new to reading to learn to read. 


How could that work you might ask? After all, we adults know that dogs "can't  really read". Well, it works because it forms an environment of ease and allows children to realize that reading can be fun in a non- judgemental environment! Dogs do not judge people, laugh at errors, nor criticize them. They simply offer their unyielding comfort and devotion. When the children read to the dogs, it puts them at ease because they are not being judged in front of a classroom of their peers or by a harsh teacher. R.E.A.D. teams follow strict protocols to ensure safe and happy learning environments, and the wonderful therapy dogs really offer up a lot of comfort to new and struggling readers! I've found that it only takes the children a few short minutes to really start feeling comfortable with Ranger once they sit down and open up their book. During their reading, some of the kids like to pet Ranger when they feel stressed, some of them like to use him as a "pillow" to prop up against while reading, and some enjoy showing him pictures in the pages of their books; it's adorable! Ranger has been taught a "read" command to help him focus on the pages that the children are sharing with him. The kids get a kick out of seeing him "read" with them! Sometimes, Ranger enjoys listening to the stories so much that he will close his eyes and picture himself in those storybook scenarios...well, at least that's what we tell the younger children when Ranger sneaks a nap in; thankfully, that didn't happen often for us! (Each session is 2 hours long during the summer program; we had new children rotate in every 15-20 minutes. From what I understand of the year- round program, there will be the same children each session and we will be able to really chart their progress with their teachers and librarians each week!)


One of Ranger's favorite learning tricks is to help the children in our program "sound out" the tough words by using his paw to break up multi-syllable words. (I've found that it only takes one time of Ranger "sounding out" the words, and the children never forget that particular word, because Ranger makes it so fun to remember!) He also gives out lots of kisses as encouragement; I remember one instance when a little boy was getting frustrated that he kept struggling with the same word...Ranger seemed to sense that he was stressed out and so he put his paw on the little boys lap and gave him a big kiss on the face; that instantly calmed the little boy down and put him at ease again, this time he had a smile on his face knowing that Ranger was there to help him! (By the way, the little boy did learn that word after all! He realized that reading could be fun with a good listener like Ranger there to support him!)


When the children finish with their visit, Ranger gives out trading cards and stickers with his picture on it, and he can even "paw-to-graph" their book or hand! (We use an Australian Shepherd shaped rubber stamp or his paw and an ink pad...the kids love it!) We will be participating in a year-round program at the same facility in a few weeks! These children will be given a "Boomer Buddy" (stuffed dog) at the beginning of the year and they will sign a contract to read to their puppies every night; they can even bring it in during the week to read with Ranger and their stuffed animal...anything it takes to motivate them and make reading fun! We are really looking forward to that opportunity! I have to say, I have never worked around a group of more well behaved children either; all of the ones in the summer program were a delight to be around! (The school that we visit is designed specifically for children with Dyslexia; it is an incredible, positive place!)

  (Here are a few of the wonderful letters/notes that the children wrote to Ranger! 
           

(For those of you with little ones at home, I'd encourage you to start reading to them early and often; it does make a difference! If you have a patient furbaby at home, consider allowing your child (supervised) to read to their furry, slithery, or even finned friend! You never know how much it might help them!)