The Survivor’s club

There is a group of people (a lot are women) in this world that are united in a very special and unique way. It doesn't matter how old you are or how young you are you may be a part of this Club.  Race and ethnic background doesn't enter the picture. This is club no one wants to join but so many do.  No one wants to continue their membership in this club however they never ever want to leave it. Once you are a member you spend the rest of your life there.  This club chooses you as a member. This club changes your life. This club changes everything around you your whole world and your family’s world.  This club alters your reality and perception of life. Your focus and priorities adjust because of this club. Some of us are members because of a close friend or family member belonging to this club. You are reminded of this club even when you want to forget it.  With every doctor’s appointment, every mammogram, every pain, every extra test we have to take, every pill we swallow. Some are reminded every day as we get dressed, or take a shower, or look in the mirror. Every time we meet another member you recognize each other. There is no secret hand shake or special word you say to greet one another but the signs are there. Sometimes it’s the pink ribbon they wear, or maybe it’s the lack of hair, maybe you see the skin tone that has changed its shade or they just look a little off today. Or maybe you look in each other’s eyes and you see thee reflection of the pain you have suffered, the stresses you have lived through. Perhaps what you see reflected is the fear and loss of control over your life and your future. Survivors club members search to find a way to cope.

 Being a survivor’s daughter means I wake up at 4 am and write this because my brain is on over load. For Jessie it means she sews all day so she doesn't think negative thoughts. She keeps busy every day concentrating on other people who get her bags hoping to encourage them. We write notes and cards, letters of encouragement. We also talk to other survivors. We tell other survivors where we draw comfort. We read the bible every day. We pray for strength to deal with each day’s anxieties.

 We read articles on line at JW.ORG.  We always find a positive encouraging bible thought there.

Articles like ….Is god interested in you? When tragedy strikes- how you can cope. Why do bad things happen to good people?  

When we meet other survivors we want to give you one of Jessie’s bags. We hope you like it. We hope you can use it. We hope it makes you smile. Maybe when you see it you are reminded there is someone else who understands your unique struggle and is fighting to survive each day too!

We like new ideas!

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since we began our 100 bags a month program. We started making 100 bags to give out in October to breast cancer survivors. We got schools and volunteers to join us and we did it.  At the beginning of 2014 we decided we wanted to try to make 100 bags every month.  Some months we hit our goal others we didn't due to health issues however we consistently made bags and donated them every month to survivors. We recently have a few more sewers to help us. This works out well when Jessie isn't up to sewing. 

 I spoke with a young man who wants to make some bow ties for men. This is a great idea.  We hope he can start this process with some of our fabric scraps and donate a portion of the proceeds to Jessie’s bags.

Up-cycling trash 

Pillows

some of our new ideas

This got us to thinking there may be other ideas and designers we can team up with to create items that will benefit Jessie’s cause. We have some fabric to share. Do you have any suggestions? What is your skill? What do you make? We try to up-cycle as much as possible.  Contact us jessiesbags@gmail.com  let’s see what we can create together.