Craft Night

On Monday, February 28th, I was fortunate enough to get to attend the Craft Night at the Grizzlie's House on the St. Jude campus. There were approximately 20 – 25 children and parents who came to the dining room to participate. We made yarn kites with craft sticks. I was in charge of starting the kites for the kids and helping them navigate the actual construction. I met a wonderful 13 year old girl who was here for her six month re-check. She was excited to go home the next day and see her cat and horses. I met a young man who was born without a viable immune system and like myself, has to take a pill once a day to maintain his health. I also watched a father make one of the kites while holding his 1 ½ year old daughter.
There were only two volunteers and the coordinator there to help. Some of the parents looked very tired and some obviously enjoyed watching their children have fun. I was honored to be able to provide a small bit of distraction for the children. It was heart wrenching to hear them discussing their MRI's and blood tests with each other. It was like hearing healthy children discuss bicycle rides and homework. They were very matter of fact about their diseases. You could see that some of the children had been in this environment for years. I was astonished at the upbeat personalities that I encountered from the kids. One little boy told his mom, “I'm sick, I'm not an invalid and I would like to cut the yarn for people!” It was a great experience and I will be participating again next month. I encourage everyone to volunteer for this opportunity and enjoy every minute of it. I know I did.