| Twilight
Affair 2008 |
 |
7th ANNUAL ANGELS ABOVE
TWILIGHT AFFAIR AND SILENT AUCTION
Please join us on November 6th
from 6:00-10:00pm for our annual fundraiser
at Harris' Pelham Inn. This is a wonderful
evening with a silent auction, raffles,
ornaments painted by the children of MGHfC, a
slide show featuring the children, a turkey
dinner, and music provided by Qwill
featuring Jesse Ciaramataro, Zach
Field and Henely Douglas Jr.
Tickets
go on sale September 15th for $65 each and can be
purchased at the Angels Above Store or by emailing
Mary Beth at angelsabove1996@yahoo.com.
If
you would like to donate an auction item (i.e.
tickets to a sporting or music event, weekend
getaways, restaurant gift certificates, ski
passes, museum passes), please contact Mary Beth
at the above email address.
Hope to see you
there!
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| Meg's Bracelets
by Sacha
Field |
 |
Meagan Chuckran is no stranger to MassGeneral
Hospital for Children and to Angels Above. When
she was just an infant, she was diagnosed with
retinoblastoma (cancer of the retina) and later,
at the age of twelve, was diagnosed with a rare
bone cancer called osteosarcoma. Now a beautiful
sixteen year old, Meagan is battling cancer for
the third time, with a recurrence of her
osteosarcoma. She will have 6 to 8 months of
chemotherapy and will undergo surgery to remove
the tumor from her shoulder.
To help
assist with some of the financial burdens of these
hospitalizations, Meagan's aunt designed, created,
and is currently selling glass bead hope
bracelets, lovingly called "Meg's Bracelets" after
the ever popular Mel's Bracelets that have raised
so much money for the MGH Cancer Center. The net
proceeds will help assist with some of the
day-to-day expenses that are incurred coming into
the hospital so frequently: gas, parking,
medications, co-pays, etc. The bracelets have
grown so popular that Meagan has spent her last
two chemotherapy admissions helping her aunt make
more bracelets to sell! More importantly than the
money raised, each bracelet is worn as a symbol of
hope for Meagan and she is so grateful for all the
support! |
| Thanks Dowling
Family! |
 |
|
We
first introduced you to the Dowling family back in
our August 2006 newsletter. Amy and Mark's son
Danny was born with a rare digestive disease
called Hirschsprung's Disease and hospitalized at
MGHfC for a total of 30 days in 2005.
Since then, we've received many donations
from Amy and Mark and their relatives in honor of
Danny's 1st, 2nd and 3rd birthdays and other
family events. And today we're happy to report
that Danny is a beautiful 3 year old boy who is
doing well.
Many thanks to the Dowling
family for continuing to honor Danny in such a
wonderful
way!
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| Sponsor a
Party |
 |
|
We host many parties
throughout the year for the children and their
families and are in need of sponsors to help with
the cost of the food. A typical party for the
pediatric floors costs approximately $350. This
includes pizza, salads, fruit trays, cookies,
cupcakes, soda, juice and water.
For
just $25, you can become an "Angel Party Sponsor".
Your name will be posted on the table and you'll
receive a picture of the party. Please mark on
your check "Angel Party Sponsor" and we will put
your donation towards our next
party.
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| Wish
List |
|
The hospital playrooms
are always in need of the following items: UNO
Cards, SKIP-BO Cards, Fuzzy Posters, Lullaby CDs,
Rattles, Playdoh, Coloring Books, Crayola Crayons,
and Legos.
If you would like to donate,
please drop items off at the Angels
Above
Store. | | |
Dear
Friend,
Welcome to the first
email edition of Angel News! We hope you
enjoy our new format and if you have any comments,
please let us know.
Happy
Reading! |
 DJ Murphy is a
nineteen-year-old patient at MGHfC who was
diagnosed with left tibial osteosarcoma (bone
cancer) in March of 2007. DJ loves the Patriots
and is definitely their biggest fan! During the
playoff game last season, he was hospitalized and
very unhappy. However, when the Patriots won and
were advancing to the Superbowl, DJ jumped out of
bed to celebrate and began spraying the nurses and
doctors with cans of soda! He is known to skip the
hospital johnny and parade around the hospital
floor in Patriots gear from head to toe.
DJ's biggest wish was to meet his favorite
player, Randy Moss. His wish was granted in May
through the endless efforts of Angels Above and
the coordination of the Patriots Community Affairs
Department. Not only was DJ able to meet Randy
Moss, but he also met Tom Brady. He was all smiles
as he and his best friend Chris stood beside his
idols. A lasting impression was that "his boys",
Randy and Tom, also play video games (specifically
Call of Duty and Madden) as much as he
does! |
Earth Angel
In a world of uncertain times
when our minds are consumed with how to make ends
meet, how do you teach your child the importance
of helping people less fortunate?
Let me
introduce you to Gina Castellano, a young girl who
was about to make her First Communion. Gina and
her parents, Gail and Mark, wanted to celebrate
with family and friends and discussed the
celebration plans. Gina already knew she would be
dressed like an angel that day since she was going
to wear her Mom's tiara, but what about the
festivities with family and friends? She realized
how lucky she was to have a Mom and Dad who loved
her, a warm bed to be tucked into at night, and
toys and friends to play with. What was it that
Gina truly wanted or needed? After discussing this
with her parents, Gina realized that it's better
to give than to receive and chose Angels Above to
be a part of her special day.
In lieu of
receiving gifts, Gina decided she wanted to help
ill children and asked her family and friends to
donate to Angels Above. With the money Gina
raised, she was able to put smiles on the faces of
many children.
So from all of us at Angels
Above, we want to say thank you. And remember
Gina, the next time you are outside and feel a
beautiful breeze through your hair, the Angels are
blowing you kisses for your wonderful act of
kindness. |
Friends Helping
Friends
Just before our
June luau at the hospital, Sue received a phone
call from Elena who explained that her 8 year old
daughter, along with 10 other girls, began a group
last September called Friends Helping Friends.
This group of 7 and 8 year old friends, along with
the help of their mothers, decided to reach out to
the community and contribute in various ways to
help others. Since September, the girls have
raised money for breast cancer, helped the
Medfield Food Pantry, sold wooden hearts in
February to raise money for Dana Farber, held a
tea party to learn about manners, and in June,
helped Angels Above by donating 40 luau-themed
gift bags for the pediatric floors. The gift bags
contained leis, juice boxes, snacks, small toys,
puzzle books and other items for the children.
Elena stated that the girls were very honored to
do this because one of their friend's sister
was a former patient at MGHfC and received a
gift bag at a previous Angels Above
party.
The young girls who donated their
love and their time are: Michaela A., Michaela J.,
Samantha, Tina, Jessie, Taylor, Genna, Morgen,
Emma, Rachel and Caroline.
Thanks to all of
you for helping to make our luau such a
special day for the
children. |
Chat
with Marilyn
The Child Life Specialists play a
key role in the well being of the pediatric
patients and their families. We asked Marilyn
Gifford, who has been helping children for 30
years, to share her thoughts with us on the
following:
1. Describe your
role as a Child Life
Specialist.
A Child Life Specialist is
trained to assess and treat the developmental,
emotional and psycho-social needs of children and
adolescents in healthcare settings. We help
patients understand and cope with illness or
trauma through expressive and medical play
and education about a diagnosis and
treatment.
2. How has
Angels Above made a difference on Ellison
17?
Angels Above has touched the lives
of so many children and families with a personal
presence and sincere investment in
improving the hospital stays for patients.
Not only do they provide toys, game systems,
rocking chairs and anything we need to
enhance the hospital environment, the "Angels"
donations enable us to create a cozy home
like space for children who are hospitalized for
specialized cancer treatment. The needs of parents
are never forgotten. We are able to offer parents
coffee, tea, soup and snacks on the unit so that a
concerned parent does not need to leave the floor.
Every parent receives a special parent bag when
Sue and Mary Beth visit along with a warm smile or
gentle touch. Our patients are fortunate to
receive the finest medical care, but through the
generosity and consistent outreach from Angels
Above, the children's developmental, social and
emotional well being also benefits. The
hospital, although not a place one would choose to
be, becomes more fun and feels more like
home.
3. What is your
favorite memory involving an Angels Above
visit?
There have been many wonderful
moments and stories but one that I will always
remember was a visit to the Pediatric Intensive
Care Unit. Sue and Mary Beth spent time talking
with a Mom who's child was very ill and not awake.
They placed a wind chime above the child's bed.
Her Mom would rustle the chimes throughout the day
and after a few days the patient began to become
more aware and awake on the road to recovery.
Medical intervention clearly played a significant
role, but there is something to be said for caring
and the power of
hope. |
A Special Goodbye 
By Mary Beth
Brunelle
I remember when I first met Ali. I
immediately liked this young woman who was so full
of life. With her big smile and positive
attitude it was hard to believe she had
been fighting cancer for 10 years. When we
asked her to be in a video we were making to
be shown at our annual fundraiser last
November, she agreed. She not only
wanted to be in it, but didn't hesitate to say yes
when we invited her and her family to join us at
the event. So there we were last
year, filming on the pediatric floor,
and Ali was asked what her hopes were for the
future and she responded "to live a long and
healthy life and to give back to the people who
helped me so much." I thought how lucky I was
to have been introduced to this extraordinary
woman.
If you attended last year's
Twilight Affair, I'm sure you'll remember Ali.
Every time I spotted her on the dance floor or
talking to people, she was always
smiling.
Sadly, Ali passed away on
May 15th. I, along with many other people, will
miss her generous spirit and beautiful
smile. On behalf of Angels Above, I
would like to extend my heartfelt sympathies
to her family and loved ones. Ali made a
difference in the lives of the people she touched
and she has left an everlasting mark on my
heart. |
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UNTIL NEXT
TIME
We would like to extend our
heartfelt appreciation to all of you for
supporting Angels Above. Look for our next
edition in
November! | |
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