bottle of hope

This weekend my mom volunteered at the annual event held at her hospital's cancer center. Basically it's an expo of sorts for people fighting cancer--a resource for goods and services that can make their suffering just a tiny bit more bearable.

My mom was decked out in a pretty scarf with pink "ribbons" on it, and the organizers were giving people tiny hot pink "hair extensions" so they could get into the spirit of the event. There were so many helpful gadgets and innovations showcased there that my mom was a little sad she'd never heard of some of them last year while a good friend of hers was battling breast cancer. (Her friend is in remission, by the way.)

My Favorite Mami's dad is battling cancer right now, and I had told my mom about it (I believe she has a direct line to the almighty, so I always ask her to put in a good word about especially important matters like that). My mome came home from the fair with a little something for him.

"This Bottle of Hope is a gift to you. It symbolizes a wish and a hope for health."

Basically, it's a small medicine bottle (I believe this one used to have Heparin in it) that would have been thrown away at a chemotherapy center. It's been covered in polymer clay and topped with a polymer-clay stopper. The project was started in 1999 by a Rhode Island cancer survivor. There aren't too many rules about the bottles, except that they're never to be sold. Giving and getting them is said to make people feel a little better, and that's always a nice thing when you're dealing with something as annoying as cancer. My mom picked out the "most manly looking one" for MFM's papi.

I'll take this moment to remind you all to get yourselves checked out regularly. SO much suffering can be avoided for you and all who love you if cancer can be detected early.