Childhood Cancer . Childhood Leukemia . Grief

T-shirt designs, heartbreaks and memories

On January 11, 2019 by

During November, we hosted a t-shirt design contest with the young patients at Levine Children’s Hospital Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Center. The assignment was to draw what cancer, cancer fighter/warrior meant to them. Participants were given a $5 gift card to Chic-fil-a, and we had 23 participants. There was a ‘drawing station’ set up in the clinic’s waiting area. With this contest, kids were able to express themselves artistically, in what cancer and fighting it meant to them, as well as providing them something do to while they waited for their appointment. We plan to do this every year.

The winner would be selected during the first week in December, and given a bag of goodies along with a $100 visa gift card. The winning design would be featured on the front of our 3rd Annual March Forth 5k/15k Run race shirts. All entries will be on display at the run.

We notified the social worker at the clinic that we had chosen 15-year-old Allie Hodge’s drawing as our winner. We were told that Allie was so excited that she won. We put her winner’s bag together and delivered it to the hospital on December 20. Allie was in PICU at the time, so we let one of the Reiki Masters deliver her winner’s gift. We received a photo of Allie’s mom, Jennifer holding Allie’s gifts.

You may have heard of Allie. She is a rockstar princess, fought ALL – Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia for several years, and was from the Granite Falls area. Her facebook group is “Allison’s Army”.

The day after Christmas…just 6 days later… Allie left this world.

It makes me sick to my stomach to hear of so many kids fighting cancer and then to keep hearing the heartbreaking news that they have left us. It wasn’t lost on me either, that Allie was 15 years old and also fought the same type of cancer BJ did. Remember, ALL is the MOST CURABLE type of childhood cancer.

This year, at the 3rd Annual March Forth 5k/15k Run, we will proudly wear Allie’s artwork on our race shirts, and will remember – will always remember exactly what we are fighting for.

God speed Allie.

#BJStrong #ChildhoodLeukemia #ChildhoodCancer #ChildhoodCancerAwareness#PediatricCancer #PediatricCancerAwareness #CancerSucks #MarchForth#GiveBack #MakeADifference #SFWF #StandFirmWarrior #CancerFighter#RockstarPrincess #AllieHodge #15YearsOld #AcuteLymphoblasticLeukemia #ALL#LCH #LevineChildrensHospital

Allie’s drawing
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I'm a mom with a heart split between my child on earth and my child in heaven.