The Places We Go

We hit the road to St. Louis last Tuesday for Dane's chemotherapy treatment. This journey is made every three weeks but Things 1 and 2 were along for the ride on this trip. Luckily, Siteman Cancer Center does waiting well. Along with reading our books and playing DS games, we did puzzles, played chess, Uno and painted tiles. Arts for Healing provides supplies for cancer patients and their loved ones to paint porcelin tiles that are displayed throughout the center. The tiles are also used on greeting cards to raise money for the hospital and we even have the ability to special order cards with our own tiles. Here are those we painted on Wednesday:

Lucy's:

Gabe's:

Dane's:

Mine:

Siteman Cancer Center is located in the Center for Advanced Medicine at Washington University/Barnes-Jewish Hospital. As the kids and I wondered around while we waited, we stood at a balcony overlooking the fourteen floors. 14 floors of advanced medicine. That's a lot of people waiting for a lot of various reasons. Muscular Sclerosis, MD, Cerebral Palsy, ALS, Lupus, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Diabetes, countless cancers and a number of illnesses of which I have never heard, I'm sure. 14 floors of people feeling powerless, feeling stuck in a useless place.

Fourteen floors of people who could potentially be raising money for their cause, by doing what they're doing. Just as a runner gains sponsors for running miles, the patients on those 14 floors could gain sponsorships for their patience. Every doctor appointment or test, every hour in treatment could earn funds for research. Patience that delivers progress in the Waiting-Place. Dr. Seuss might have seen fourteen floors of useless places. I saw 14 floors of promise.

The potential is huge....and its knocking at the door. Our application for the $50,000 grant from Pepsi's Refresh Everything project has been accepted for January's voting. We just need to make it into the top ten to get it. Will you help us get there? You can vote via Facebook, or from every email address you have at www.refresheverything.com/waitingplace. You can also vote by texting 105175 to PEPSI (73774).