Summer Happenings

Busy -- that's the one word that describes this summer perfectly. Here we are in the last week before school starts, and as usual, I am wondering where the time went. We've made road trips to Houston (freshmen orientation for our oldest son)

(selfie at orientation!)

and also to Dallas because we just had to visit my sweet great-niece Harper!

Of course, I had to take a new crocheted gift to Harper, a sweet little crab (she's a Cancer!).

(Pattern by Awkward Soul)

My own little Cancer turned 8 this summer. He wants a crab, too. :)

While the zodiac sign Cancer reminds me of these two sweethearts and my dad, the disease cancer brings awful memories. Its insidious nature has impacted me in more ways than I can even begin to say, which I would guess is true for many people. This year I have already lost two incredible women to this dreaded disease, and four more women I know are fighting the good fight. I crocheted some caps in anticipation of hair loss for the two women who are currently getting chemotherapy treatments.

(Free pattern courtesy of Oombawka Design)

The saddest part of cancer to me is the children. In 2011, a member of my extended family was diagnosed with leukemia and died just 6 months later. Sam was 8. The next year, his family started the Samuel Szabo Foundation with the goal of raising awareness of childhood cancers, funding childhood cancer research and supporting families faced with a diagnosis of cancer in northeast Ohio. 

I have started crocheting hats and caps to donate to SSF and will be posting photos and patterns here. Please consider donating to SSF or a similar organization -- only 4% of federal funding for cancer research goes toward childhood cancers. That has to change.