Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.
~Henry Ford
We had always spent Christmas Day at my grandmother’s house and it was never the same after she passed away from ovarian cancer. Listening to Christmas tunes became depressing, and decorating the house with lights, trees, and wreaths became a chore.
I needed something to focus on besides missing my grandmother. Having survived my own cancer as a child I thought it would be wonderful to create a holiday gift program for children who were battling cancer. My children could get involved from home and it would also help them understand a little bit of what I went through when I was their age and how fortunate we are to have good health.
It was only a couple of months before Christmas, so I began social networking on my computer to find the children who would receive our gifts. Parents from all parts of the U.S. began responding to the idea, and soon I had the wish lists of twenty children with cancer for my Operation GOLD holiday gift program. Although twenty children seemed like a small number compared to the number of children battling cancer, it was enough to get the program launched and help make a difference.
With the first step accomplished, I had to find twenty families to donate presents to those twenty children. After spending multiple hours on the Internet and on the telephone, I was able to find twenty volunteer families that would provide the gifts.
In just four weeks, my plan had come together. The volunteer families would purchase items from their assigned child’s wish list and mail them directly to the child’s home. I even set aside a child with cancer for my family to buy for. I’m so glad I did because my two sons were able to participate and relate on a kid’s level. We picked out presents, wrapped them, and shipped them to the child with cancer. It was a process that meant a lot to me and hopefully to them.
Since the program was based on trust and a verbal agreement, I did feel a bit worried at times, but I had to remind myself to trust that everything would work out, and that’s exactly what happened!
Little by little I started receiving thank-you e-mails from the parents of the sick children. Some of the children were still in the hospital and unable to celebrate Christmas at home. One child passed away the day before his presents arrived. This was the harsh reality of childhood cancer and it reminded me of how lucky I am to have survived.
Overall, the program was a huge success. I felt like my grandmother and I were doing something together for the other children and families touched by cancer. I had transformed my sadness into something wonderful.
~Kristen N. Velasquez
