DonnaBellas Angels Donations to Texas Children's Cancer Center (TXCCC)

DonnaBellas Angels is donating multiple items to the Texas Children's Cancer Center (TXCCC) in Houston. Donations have included the following:

Donation of art prints that were framed and displayed in the respite room.

Donation of art postcards that staff can distribute to patients and caregivers.

Donation of art prints that were given to patients and their caregivers.

Permission to use "Colorful Cancer Angel" painting on a t-shirt. The shirt was sold to fundraise to buy items for the respite room and the "Do Not Resuscitate" (DNR) Cart.

It is the mission of DonnaBellas Angels to provide inspirational healing art to medical clinics and wellness centers. We used donations ot help cover the cost of producing original art, and art prints so they can be made available at no cost or with a minimal fee to medical clinics.

“We had an 18 month old patient who we had taken care of since he was 4 months old. His health was rapidly declining and many of us started to prepare for the worse. There isn't much that can comfort you in these types of situations. However, the nurses went through artwork that was donated by DonnaBellas Angels and found a piece that we knew would be perfect. It was a painting of an angel holding a baby in the sky over several small houses. We placed the artwork above his head on his crib until the day he passed away. All of us finally found comfort in seeing that in this picture, we could see our little boy being taken to a better place by a sweet angel. Now knowing he was without any pain or suffering. We keep that same picture in our respite room as a constant reminder of him and how much we all miss him. Thank you to the whole DonnaBellas Angels family for providing this comfort to us!”

-Lindsey Zaremba, Pediatric Nurse at Texas Children’s Hospital Cancer Center
Click here to see a photo gallery of the donated paintings at Texas Children's Cancer Center.

Donations to DonnaBellas Angels help support providing art to places like Texas Children’s Hospital Cancer Center. We are planning to provide TXCCC with angel pillow cases for children whose family have choosen DNR. The angel pillow will be a comfort to the child as their last pillow with angels and love for them as their last pillow. Families will have the option to take the pillow home after they pass. Please join us in support our mission of providing healing art! Thank You.

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Chase Community Giving
Chase is asking individuals to help decide which 200 local charities share $5 million in donations from Chase. ...Start voting for your favorites on June 15. Please vote for DonnaBellas ANgels!

http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/260386606-donnabellas-angels-inc

Pasco Pinellas Cancer Center Receives Art Donations from DonnaBellas Angels

DonnaBellas Angels is donating multiple items to the Pasco Pinellas Cancer Center in Florida. Donations have included the following:

~Original painting donation of "Rainbow Cancer Angel" to the New Port Richey, FL facility.

~Original painting donation of "Spring Hearts Cancer Angel" to the Tarpon Springs, FL facility.

~Donation of note cards for staff to use in sending messages of hope to patients and words of condolence to families.

~Donation of art postcards that staff can distribute to patients and caregivers.

~Donation of art prints that were given to patients and their caregivers.

It is the mission of DonnaBellas Angels to provide inspirational healing art to medical clinics and wellness centers.

We used donations ot help cover the cost of producing original art, and art prints so they can be made available at no cost or with a minimal fee to medical clinics.


Click here to see a photo gallery of the donated paintings at Pasco Pinellas Cancer Center.

Susan Smith, Metastatic Melanoma Survivor is an Inspiration to DonnaBellas Angels Art

Back in 2005, Laurel Latto traveled to San Antonio, Texas. During her flight, she was inspired to draw angels. That night, she met up with her friend, Teresa Mooneyham, who shared her story of a possible cancer diagnosis, as well as, supporting her friend, Susan Smith, had stage IV metastatic melanoma. (Read the full story on our website "Angel Idea" page.) The result was the first cancer angel painting, "Colorful Cancer Angel".
Laurel was in San Antonio and presented Susan with a t-shirt that had been created by pediatric nurses at Texas Children's Cancer Center.
Susan continues to be in full remission for her melanoma. She was featured as a cancer survivor in a 2005 Proleukin ® calendar. Susan continues to be an inspiration to others coping with metastatic melanoma.

Photo (Left to Right): Teresa Mooneyham, Susan Smith, Laurel Latto

Click here for a photo gallery of more pictures of Susan.

Susan's words from 2004 about her cancer treatment and being part of 5% survival group:
I’ve been an oncology nurse for 25 years and cared for many cancer patients. Over the years, you see how people react to cancer differently. When I was diagnosed, I reacted by being busy. It didn’t overwhelm me even though I knew the statistics. I just took it as a matter of fact and thought, “What do I need to do next?”

I’m 50 years old and have lived in South Texas all my life, so my risk factor was multiple sunburns in my youth. In 1987, I had a mole removed from my upper left chest area that was diagnosed as malignant melanoma.

In January 2003, I began to have shortness of breath and weight loss. After a course of oral antibiotics, I went back to my doctor in February and found out I had lesions in my left lung and right chest wall, and involvement in the mediastinal area (the area between the lungs). Working in oncology research, I knew my odds weren’t good, but I also knew I had access to one of the best oncologists in the world. Dr. Geoffrey Weiss, of the Cancer Therapy and Research Center in San Antonio, immediately started me on high-dose Proleukin ® (aldesleukin) for injection therapy.

During the treatment, my entire skin peeled, but what a hidden benefit. It was as if I had been to an expensive spa. The side effects were awful, but I was able to take a few conference calls while confined to bed. After the IL-2, the right chest wall lesion and mediastinal disease disappeared. Although the tumor in my bottom left lung lobe decreased, the lobe was removed as a precaution in March 2004 and I’ve been cancer-free ever since.

I’d like to thank my devoted husband of 27 years who has stayed by my side, my terrific 14-year-old basketball playing son who would not let me forget the reason it was so important to fight for my life, and my wonderful friends and family members. Someone has to make up that 5% survival rate in five years, and with all of these guardian angels praying and helping, I’ll be one of those long-term remissions.

Shohini Ghosh's Angel Sculptures

Shohini Ghosh, Artist, is working on resin angel figurines for DonnaBellas Angels. She has designed a boy angel and girl angel. The theme is the gift of friendship and support. The below images are prototype sculptures. The final angel figurines will be in white acrylic.

Shohini’s thoughts and inspirations about her angel sculptures:

My mother is a breast cancer survivor who received extensive radiation and chemotherapy. What stuck me while caring for her was the physical pain of the medication. The treatment coursed through your body like molten lava flowing through your veins. This burning from the inside out is a feeling unique to cancer patient and beyond true description.

Cancer patients, as well as, other patients facing chronic or terminal diseases are subject to immense physical and mental challenges. They have a need to constantly hold on to hope, courage, peace, and love that will give them positive reinforcement and courage to face the journey. It is helpful to have an object that is a representation of these ideas because it is tangible and tactile. These angel sculptures allow a patient to share their pain and give keep faith for managing their illness.

These angels were created with the idea that it can be held by hands of all sizes during the treatment process. The angels will be smooth, with no sharp edges, light weight, palm size and white color.

Customizing by the patient and family:

The final sculptures will be white resin. Each angel can be painted or embellished by the patient and their family if they choose with words of hope, signatures of loved ones, pictures, etc. This will make the angel personalized and will remind a patient of their loved ones and the bond they share together.

After treatment is over, the angel sculpture will be a reminder of of the courage through the journey. The angel is a testament to the patient’s faith in themselves, loved ones, and God.

"Art to provide Hope in Living.

Art to provide Memory in Passing."

Costs:

Due to the cost associated with creating the sculptures, we will be asking for payments for the sculpture to help offset costs. If you wish to donate to this initiative of healing with art then please contact us at info@donnabellas.com.

Your donation help us provide the angel sculptures at no cost to cancer centers or wellness center clinics. We will also have information about online ordering, so please check back!

Donation to East Valley Hematology and Oncology Medical Group

Dr. Raul Mena of East Valley Hematology & Oncology, affliated with Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, will be receiving "My Life, My Choice Green Cancer Angel". Dr. Mena's clinic will be moving into the new Disney Family Cancer Center in Spring 2010.

Photos show Dr. Raul Mena, Veronica Hudson (Clinical Research Coordinator), Laurel Latto (Artist.)

DonnaBellas Angels Art on E-cards available at NOEP website

The Texas Nurse Oncology Education Program (NOEP) is using DonnaBellas Art on its website. You can send electronic cards with the angel art.

This is the link to the e-cards

More information about NOEP (http://www.noeptexas.org/):

Cancer education for nurses in all fields of practice

In Texas alone, it is estimated that 98,200 people will be diagnosed yearly with cancer (American Cancer Society, 2009).

The educated nurse has an opportunity to reduce the impact of cancer throughout the continuum of care, promoting screening, delivering quality care at the bedside, through professional organizations, and as advocates with friends and family members.