November Recap

November was a busy month for Cathy’s Creations, and probably for you, too! At Cathy’s Creations, we have a lot to be thankful for!

We know some of you Frikes were busy being generous to one another, which warms our hearts. Several Frikes this month claimed and purchased DOTD (Deal of the Day) items for other Frikes who had missed the deal or who hadn’t been able to buy the bracelets. Another Frike cheered up the mother of a young victim of breast cancer by sharing a breast cancer awareness cause bracelet with her. We love seeing the generosity between you all! This is what makes the experience so worthwhile- knowing that people who care are connecting! Thank you for being such amazing people! This is what it means to be a Frike. Please, in the blog or on the Facebook wall, continue to share your positive stories with us and the world! You are making a difference.

How was your Thanksgiving this year? We’d love to hear about it! We have some exciting news to share about how Thanksgiving looked from our end. The kindness of several Frikes allowed eight families connected through Cathy’s Creations to welcome a warm meal to their table. And through twelve anonymous donations, a dozen additional families benefited by celebrating Thanksgiving. You all should be so proud of yourselves for your loving actions this November! Twenty families were fed through our combined efforts- what an amazing show of generosity and kindness! We are truly humbled by the amazing people we have come to know and love. In this economy, we know that not everyone can help, even if they want to. Just by being a part of Cathy’s Creations, you are showing us and the world that you care about the great things we support and value. You are all fantastic!

November also brought Cathy's Creations two new additions:

A Sarah's House cause bracelet was added to help a young mother suffering from a Stage 4 brain tumor realize her dream of building a hospitality home for patients undergoing treatment in rural Maine. Please view the bracelet and read her story, and if you feel inspired, share the story with others! You don't have to be able to buy a bracelet to raise awareness, so view the cause jewelry and find something near and dear to your heart and spread the word.

Did you go look? Because you may have noticed something new. We are pleased to announce a new style of bracelets available only through our website. Please check out our chainmaille bracelets, with optional customizable charms! The perfect gift for mothers, grandmothers, or even couples.

Tomorrow is not only a new day, but a new month, and we have some incredible things planned! We hope that December is filled with more love, generosity, and above all, happiness for all of you. We have a fantastic way to kick this off, so please check back for more details in the next blog!

To close, we invite you to share with us one special thing that happened to you this November. We love to celebrate your joys along with you!

See you in December! Also, please remember- in order to guarantee delivery by Christmas, orders should be placed by this Saturday, December 3^rd!

Special Holiday Season Fundraiser!

You know what’s even better than a Cathy’s Creations bracelet for yourself or a loved one this holiday season? Knowing that your purchase helped a friend or family in need! It’s easier than you think.

Because our usual route of giving a helping hand is now charging for their services in connecting those who need the assistance with those who have something to offer, it is time to take things into our own hands and make sure that all of the generosity we have to offer goes to those in need and not into the pockets of a website manager! We believe that help from the heart should be free, and so we have come up with a unique way for everyone to benefit.

For a limited time, all proceeds from the Deal of the Day (DOTD) bracelets posted for sale on Facebook will assist a Frike-nominated person or family who could use a little helping hand this holiday season. The accepted nominations will benefit in the order they were received, and as always, all information is confidential. If you know of someone special who needs the extra help this year, please send an email to cathy@cathyscreationsjewelry.com with details.

As the money comes in, it will be placed into a special fund and each week, these funds will be applied to the thoughtfully selected individuals.

So, Frikes, keep your eyes peeled and your fingers at the ready to type MINE and claim yourself or someone special a truly thoughtful gift!

Become a Frike! Join us on Facebook! Click “Like” to find out about this special fundraiser and everything else we’re up to!

And please, in the comment section below, share with us a way that you have been helped in the past that truly warmed your heart. We love rejoicing in the generosity of others, and hearing your story could be a true inspiration!

Thanksgiving Frike Love

I know I have the best Frikes in the whole unicorn. I'm thankful for all of you every day!

During this season of Thanksgiving, my heart turns to those who don't have the bounty that most of us do. I know that there are many, even among the Frikes, who don't have enough money to put Thanksgiving dinner on the table. Did you know that the average cost to make a turkey dinner for 10 people with all the trimmings is less than $50 (see http://couriernews.suntimes.com/business/8848285-420/cost-of-thanksgiving-dinner-rises-13.html)? To those without $50, that dinner must seem insurmountable. To others, $50 seems like nothing.

Here's your chance, Frikes! Let's help some people in need.

Do you need help with Thanksgiving dinner? Email me at cathy@cathyscreationsjewelry.com.

Would you like to help someone else with their Thanksgiving dinner? Email me at cathy@cathyscreationsjewelry.com, or simply send a paypal donation of any amount to the same address (make sure to mark it as a gift so no one pays any fees). Please mark the payment "Thanksgiving donation."

I will keep everything completely confidential.

Let's make this season of Thanks a happy one, and remember that it is in giving that we receive.

Meet Taiya

Greeting’s from what will soon be the “artic-tundra” a.k.a Canada!

When I told Cathy I would write up a guest post on her blog I had about a trillion idea’s in which I could write about. Then this happened….. I went blank. It was like walking into the grocery store after you left your list at home. Blank. Nothing. Zip. *crickets*

Then a vision appeared before me on my computer screen. A vision so precious and sweet, it takes your breath away.

Meet Taiya.

Taiya is 5 years old.

She loves all things that 5 year old girls do. She has friends, a loving family, a little sister and leukemia.

On August 29^th she was diagnosed with AML (acute myloid leukemia) a cancer in her blood.

This type of leukemia is located at the stem cells of the blood and therefore affects all her blood cells. Her chemotherapy will be very intense, she will spend many weeks in the hospital to receive the chemo, and to manage the complications. In particular she will be at a very high risk of significant infections (particularly bacterial and fungal) following her chemotherapy, and will have to be monitored very closely. At present the treatment plan is to give Taiya 5 cycles of chemotherapy, 4-6 weeks apart.

Her family lives locally where I live. So when I caught wind of what Taiya was up against, I knew I could help. After all, I am a mother of four daughters myself. A mother that knows that no child should be this sick…ever.
While I know that I cannot make Taiya better (but if I could, you bet I would!), I know that I can help her family. As parents, heck as HUMANS, we should give support when others are falling.

So that is where the awesome Cathy of Cathy’s creations comes into play. She inspired me, like so many others, to help. To open my heart as big as it can and give. To teach my children to give, to be a better person, mother, friend , human.

I have a small business that I run. I sew and quilt. It makes my head quiet and my heart happy as I do it. What started as a hobby has turned into passion.
It occurred to me that I could take the contacts that I have made and have them help me, help Taiya.

So may I present to you, my gift to Taiya and her family!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Taiya-MacLean-Charitable-Auction/135101049924115.

A darling friend of mine and I have decided to have a charitable online auction that will take place on November 12-13^th 2011.
We have all sorts of wonderful goods donated from local as well as worldwide angels.
Please consider donating and/or purchasing from the auction that weekend. Purchase some wonderful Christmas gifts all while helping a family in need of support.
If you are interested in donating to Taiya’s auction please email myself, Brenda at: fourdaisies4d@yahoo.ca .

Thank you to Cathy for allowing me be a guest on this wonderful blog of hers, and also thank you for reminding thousands of people daily to stand up and help.

Blessings,

Brenda Maks
owner , Four Daisies Quilting & Sewing

October 15th - Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance/Awareness Day

October 15th-We remember and honor the little lives
that were lost.

A dear friend posted this on her wall today. I asked her if she would allow me to
share it with all of you. She graciously agreed.

Love you, Cori!

Most of you are aware that I have 2 beautiful children, Roman and Kalista, who are my life. Sure, they make me want to pull my hair out at times, but I love them with all of my heart and cannot imagine life without them. What some of my "newer" friends may not know is that I was pregnant once before Roman.

In 2005, less than a year into my marriage, I found myself pregnant for the first time. It was a roller coaster of emotions in the beginning and we thought we were losing the baby more than once. Eventually, my pregnancy seemed like it was progressing normally and I realized I was truly going to be a mom. I was due in July of 2006 and aside from living in Louisiana while extremely pregnant that summer, things were perfect. I found out in February that I was having a boy, started buying baby gear and lots of little blue clothes, and got the nursery all put together.

About 10 days before my due date, I didn't feel well. I had a horrible headache and really just didn't feel right. I drove myself in to Labor & Delivery and thought maybe I was just in an early stage of labor or something. After I arrived, I did the usual routine for any pregnant women - give the nurses all of my info, check vitals, pee in a cup, etc. Then, the nurse attempted to check my baby's heart rate. She couldn't find a heartbeat anywhere. An obstetrician came in with an ultrasound machine to see if he could find it. I will never forget the image on that screen of my baby boy curled up inside of me with his still, unbeating heart.

My child had died before I'd ever gotten to meet him. I had spent 9 months loving and preparing for my son and I would never get to parent him. I'm sure most of you have never contemplated what happens when a woman loses her baby at full-term but I certainly was not ready for it. In the moment, I begged to just be put to sleep and given a c-section. I felt dead inside at the time and I could not even fathom what the doctors were asking of me. They were going to induce labor and I was going to deliver my baby just as any other mother would.

Before I was induced, I consented to an amniocentesis. At the time, I just wanted to know "why" and any testing I could possibly do to give me an answer was worth it to me. It was painful but I was given some pretty strong drugs since there was no concern of the "dangerous" painkillers reaching my baby. My body had not even begun to prepare for delivering my baby yet so it was a long and awful process to be induced. On July 3, 2006 -almost 2 full days after first seeing his still heart on the screen, I delivered my angel. Obviously, the room was very somber. Nurses were crying right along with my mother and me. (ex-husband was not in the room - another story for another day) The doctors had warned us that once a baby passes away inside the womb, that they usually are not born without some "imperfections." I had hoped the whole thing was a mistake and I would hear him cry when he came out but it was so silent in my room. My son was absolutely perfect. Silent, but peaceful and absolutely beautiful.

His name was Aleksandr. He was named the day we found out I was having a boy. I had been looking forward to bringing him home to show him all of the little personalized things in the nursery - the wooden letters spelling his name on the windowsill, the "Aleksandr's Room" sign on the door... and he would never get to see any of it. I was given some time to hold him and to take in what an amazingly beautiful boy he was. I can still remember the heart-wrenching pain of watching the nurses wheel his bassinet away knowing I would never see my boy again.

The days that followed were, without a doubt, the darkest days of my life. The pain from losing a child is truly unimaginable. Planning your child's funeral is the type of horror you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. I had to make plans and pick out a casket and grave marker. I don't even know how I made those decisions in my state of mind. I think for the most part, I was simply confused. How could this happen to me? To my child? I tried not to question God but couldn't help it. I loved my child. I would have given anything for him. How could He take away my baby? I was angry. So angry. I truly thought that my faith in anything good was lost. Depression doesn't even fully describe the state of hell I was living.

When I was pregnant, I joined an online "due date club" on a parenting website- lots of other women who were all due in July. It was really helpful to go through all of the phases of our pregnancies together and to compare things to see what was "normal." After I lost Aleksandr, I found my way to another group on this website - the Pregnancy and Infant Loss group. The women in that group pulled me back into reality. It's an awful club to be a part of but it makes life a lot less lonely when you know that others have been through the same type of pain and survived it. I don't really remember when it happened but at some point, I went from accepting advice and support to offering it to others. I don't think there is any other therapy that could have helped me more than to feel like I was helping other women who were going through the hell that I had just lived.

Why is pregnancy loss such a taboo subject? 1 in 4 pregnancies ends in miscarriage and close to 1 in 100 end in stillbirth (losing the baby at 20weeks pregnant or later). Out of the babies who are stillborn, close to 40% are termed SADS - Sudden Antenatal Death Syndrome ( the pre-birth equivalent to SIDS) meaning there is never any diagnosed reason that caused the baby's death. That was the case with my Aleksandr. Because the subject is uncomfortable, our society chooses to pretend pregnancy loss is not happening. The women suffering from losing babies are made to feel like they must lock their pain up inside and pretend nothing ever happened. Even 5 years later, I still don't fully feel comfortable talking about Aleksandr except with some close friends. Why should I be the one to worry about making others uncomfortable? I am the one who had to bury my own child. I hate that there's a worry for women that people will think they did something wrong or somehow contributed to their losses - It is rare that this is the case.

So, why am I writing about this now? October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance/Awareness Day. It is meant to be a day for us to remember the babies we've lost and to help people realize that this is happening every day. It is not something that anyone should have to deal with but, sadly, some of you probably have or will. I want women (and men, for that matter) to feel that they can be open about their losses without being judged or outcast when they need support, prayers, and love. I hope that by writing this out, at least one or two of you take a few minutes on Saturday to think about the babies we've said goodbye to too soon and maybe say a prayer for the moms and dads who have to live life knowing that a member of their family is missing.

I know this was long. Thanks for reading.

We remember.

Earlier this year I got a request to make a special bracelet for one of the Frikes mother. Her brother was leaving to go oversees and he was EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal). She wanted her mom to have a special bracelet while he was overseas.

Months later, she emailed me with the horrible news. Her brother lost his life doing serving his country doing EOD, so this one is for you, Jordan Emrick. ♥

Through the month of July, $5 from the sale of EVERY bracelet (including the Deal of the Day) will be donated to the Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation in Jordan Emrick's name.

Christi, Jordan's brother, wrote this:

When attending the EOD Memorial in FL in May I had the privilege of meeting many of these wounded EOD warriors. I was humbled by their courage and determination and their utter lack of anger towards the military. Many were being fitted for prosthetics and reenlisting for other positions just so that they could remain in their military family. The EOD is a unique group, they are truly a family. Each one looks out for the other, and each one is just as important as another. Jordan couldn't have found a better group to be a part of. These men/women are amazing, and they continue to look out for my family. I am still receiving emails and facebook messages from several regularly checking on us. They are truly brothers and sisters in the truest form. Jordan would be so honored to know that you are donating in his name. It's like he is still looking out for them.

Thank you, Christi, for allowing me to do this; thanks to the men and women serving our country every day; thanks to those who have given their lives; and thanks to the family members and friends who miss them every day. There's nothing we can do to repay you, but we will always remember.

I Am a Survivor- Cancer Survivors Day

All cancer survivors can vividly recall the moment the disease invaded their lives.

Last year in the United States, more than one and a half million men and women were estimated to be diagnosed with cancer -- and more than half a million people were expected to die from the disease.

The statistics are sobering. But on the other side of diagnosis are nearly 12 million Americans who have been classified as survivors by a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- the authors credit early detection, an aging population, improved diagnostic methods and more effective treatment among the reasons why.

Behind these numbers are the stories of these millions of survivors, who each have their own tale to tell.

To honor all the Frike Survivors, I would like each survivor to comment and tell us how long you have been cancer free and anything else you would like to share with us. In return, I will be gifting pairs of earrings to you to thank you for taking the time to share your story with us.
(Please post your email address so I can contact you for your address)