Doing Something About Cancer With the Willy Kids

A few events led to the decision to do this service project. 

1) Cancer Awareness Month (see previous post) where the children ask questions about cancer. 

2) A couple friends of mine who are fighting for their lives at this very moment against breast cancer and ovarian cancer. My dear Sue passed a year ago to Lymphoma. The Iist goes on and on. I believe it would be fair estimate that cancer has had an effect on the lives of everyone I know. 

3) The woman at the bank. 

I stood at the Arvest counter in Walmart next to an older woman with a knit cap on. Her teller complimented the hat and asked, "did you make it?" The woman laughed and said, "no I just picked it up at the cancer center." 

The teller froze. No response. 

She didn't know what to say. 

How is it that cancer is still a bad word, when almost everyone knows someone battling it? 

This was the moment when I realized cancer awareness isn't to raise awareness that cancer exists, we all know that. 

Cancer awareness is to teach empathy. To make us aware of the actual people, not just the disease they are fighting. 

I turned to the woman at the bank and asked what round of chemo she was on. 

"Round 2, and still going strong" she replied, relieved. 

Then we talked about babies and groceries, and autumn, and before I left, she said, "thank you for helping me feel human, today." 

I don't know who made the hat in the basket at the oncology center that she "just picked up", but I hope the woman felt loved when she put it on. 

I told the story to my children, since we were already discussing cancer, and Quincy asked, "can we make some hats?" And Reese exclaimed, "we should make some hats! Put it on facebook, mom, so lots of people can do it." 

Go big, girls. 

And so, the Willardson children are making and collecting hats to donate to the local oncology center. I'd like to include a handwritten note of love and support with each one. Because even if the hat isn't perfect, who wouldn't feel warmth and loved wearing a hat knowing a 6 year old made it just for them? Or that grown woman, yet total stranger, lovingly picked out for them at the store? 

Want to help? 

There will be a box on our front porch. We're collecting yarn, knifty knitter looms ($13 buys a whole set on Amazon prime), hats, and notes of support,  and will make our donation sometime after Thanksgiving. We're hosting a knit a thon on Friday to teach anyone who wants to learn how to make them, and produce as many as we can in one sitting. Join the Willy children in their "empathy awareness" project!