Tying Together Against Cancer

Eagle Scout Project and Cancer

My project titled, Tying Together Against Cancer is a project where I am having different groups come together to help make a difference in a child’s life which was inspired by my own fight against cancer.   I am proposing to raise enough money from various groups to be used to purchase fabric to make handmade blankets and to purchase teen DVD’s for the pediatric ward and infusion clinic at Rush University Medical Center. I will be raising money and supplies from a variety of sources:  My parish, St. Celestine, local businesses, and from private donations.  I plan on raising a minimum of $1500.00 from these sources to make 50 blankets.  I am also setting a goal to collect/purchase 100 DVD’s for the teenagers to use in the pediatric ward.  I will organize several groups to make the blankets including my Boy Scout Troop 690, our local Girl Scouts, teen club, and volunteers from St. Celestine's Parish.  Once the blankets are made, I will deliver them to Ms.Jenneh Scott, Child Life Specialist at Rush Medical Center for them to be distributed to the cancer patients in the pediatric ward and the infusion clinic.
  

I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma this past April; having spent several nights receiving treatments in the hospital, I felt a need to make the patients feel more at home.  I thought a blanket would add a nice warm cozy feeling of home along with a little color to brighten up the room.  I hope making a room feel like theirs would make them feel better.  I found watching a movie during chemo made the time go by faster and it also took my mind off of this horrible illness, however,  the hospital did not have many teen DVD’s to choose from.  I thought collecting gently used and new DVD’s to give to the Child Life organization would be extremely appreciated.