Our mission is to gift joy and happiness, to caregivers and child/adult cancer patients (while in-patient), during a stressful time.
At Celtic Fairies Cancer Foundation, we believe that all caregivers and cancer patients should be given opportunities for support, especially while they are in the hospital, regardless of their cancer diagnosis.
We plan to gift patients and their families with a goodie bag with a gift card for food or gas (caregivers), as well as gift the children patients with a tote bag of items to lift their spirits (see Gifts page).
In March of 2023, our founder, Erin, was diagnosed with Ph+ B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Two weeks before her 45th birthday.
This is typically a childhood blood cancer, however it is possible for adults to get. I found this out the hard way.
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY is my montra now. When I got diagnosed, I first thought I was just exhausted. The typical closing in to the end of the school year, teacher tired.
March 28th, I was trying to get two foster dogs into my car to go to the vet and then a doctors appointment for myself. It took every ounce of energy I could possibly muster to just get the dogs in the car. Then I realized I was seeing "sparkles" and my lower abdomen hurt. So instead of going to the doctor, I called out of work for the rest of the day, and went straight to the ER because I knew something was very wrong.
After a million tests and a parade of doctors, they admitted me. The next morning came the official diagnosis and a transfer to UNC Cancer Hospital.
Luckily, my body responded well to the treatments and I've been in remission since October 2023. There are still monthly chemo treatments until October 2025. Due to my roller coaster immune system, I can't return to teaching until it is stable. Until then, I'm doing all I can to be able to give back to the people who saved my life (and many others every day). The biggest focus is to help those patients and their families as much as I can. Not everyone is as blessed as I have been, to be able to afford the gas to get to/from appointments or for my husband to eat while visiting me, while I was an inpatient.
......But WAIT! There's more! Enter spring of 2025.....
The full story, as well as many tips and tricks I've learned in my journey, can be found in my book.
Links: Book "Listen to Your Body" (link will be attached once published via Amazon) * Facebook
We hope this all helps to inspire you to give back as well (see link below for the donations page).
**DISCLAIMER: She, nor any of the team, are receiving any compensation from this foundation. All monies donated go directly towards giving of assistance to the families/patients at UNC Cancer Hospital. We hope there will be enough to be able to give back to the nurses and staff there as well.