Meet Our Ultimate Warrior Blanket Recipients 4/23/13

After a very busy two weeks, we are back to share the stories of our blanket recipients. Keep the nominations coming!

Andrea is the mother of twin 15 year olds, one of whom is nonverbal autistic. She was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and is having surgery today followed by chemotherapy.  For the past 2 years she has worked as an instructional assistant in an autistic classroom always giving her love and support to these children. Her coworker wanted to reciprocate this love by nominating Andrea for one of our blankets.  Caroline says this about Andrea, “She has had many obstacles to overcome with her son’s Autism, her mother’s poor health, and now her own cancer struggle, but she has done it all with a smile and a great attitude.” Hopefully, the blanket with provide Andrea with comfort and strength during this journey to recovery.

Ketrena, from Missouri, was recently diagnosed with colon and liver cancer.  She just started chemo treatment that will last for 6 weeks, followed by radiation and surgery to remove a portion of her colon and liver.  Her friend Robin wanted to show Ketrena that she is loved by all through the warmth of our blanket.

MJ is a very special person to her step granddaughter Carrie.  Carrie wrote the following about MJ, "Although she is my step grandmother, she has completely changed my life. Her love for me has never wavered and I've always been so grateful to her for everything that she's done for me.”  MJ was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, and after surgery was done to remove her lymph nodes, the cancer has returned.  Carrie nominated MJ to give her back some of the love that MJ has always showed her.

Dan is a loving devoted father to his two school age children. He was diagnosed with cancer, which started in his tonsil, a few years ago which led to having his voice box removed. Before cancer, he coached his son’s baseball team, worked as a realtor, and owned a few cafes.  He has once again begun chemo treatments to control the growth of the cancer.  The chemo has led to his feeling weak, tired, and cold.  We hope that the love that has gone into every stitch provides some warmth during these difficult days.

Denise, 51 from Philadelphia, was diagnosed in November with throat cancer.  She has gone through many chemo treatments as well as 33 radiations to date. Her strength during all of this has been inspiring to so many, especially her daughter.  Denise is well on her way to being cancer free, but it ail take a little more strength to help end the fight.

Tammy is a 49 year old mother of four who has been fighting breast cancer for two years.  After a recent surgery, she is trying to recover and be a mother at the same time.  She is a fighter and refuses to give up, beating the timeline the doctors have laid out for her. Through the blanket, we hope Tammy can find the time to relax and feel the support around her during her recovery.

Marie, from North Carolina, was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. She had a tumor removed from her lung that causes her extreme pain but yet refuses to stop caring for a 4 month old baby. She says that the little girl is the only thing that brings a smile to her face. Her friend Carole nominated Marie for a blanket so that we can bring more smiles to her face without having to cover up the pain.

Steve, from Fresno California, has prostate cancer that has progressed to his bones. He was nominated by his niece who hasn’t seen him in over 10 years to show him that even though his family cannot be close, he is still being thought about daily. We hope that Steve can feel our support through the blanket to know that his is not alone.