I hope you guys don't mind me intruding here , but I was referred here by a beadworker that I contacted on Etsy. My son is in the Beads of Courage Program. He is 2, and about to have his 2nd open-heart surgery.
I posted some of this message on another thread, asking for certain beads to be made, which I of course would pay for. While lurking to find where the most appropriate place to post would be, I came across this post. I hope you don't mind, but I wanted to put my $0.02 in.
I have to admit, I have been lurking here today, and reading all the posts about the BOC, and I am very moved. I never imagined that the beads that mean so much to us, as recipients, also mean so much to those that design and donate them. Without you guys, there could be no program.
When I first learned about the program, online, I thought "How nice..." Our hospital doesn't participate, so I called the BOC program to find out why. They offered to do Beads from a Distance, and I e-mail them a tally sheet and they ship the beads to me. Surprisingly, I found myself eagerly checking the mail for the first shipment, and actually cried when I opened them and could tell how much time and effort went into the special beads. I immediately sat down to string them, and was amazed by the therapeutic value. I have had his beads since June 2009, and have restrung them about 8 times, just because I like to do it. I take them out at least once every few weeks, and count them, and feel them, and examine them, remembering what each one stands for. It gives me a tangible THING to see, and each bead is something that he's overcome, whether it was open-heart surgery, a sedated MRI, an echocardiogram, blood transfusion, dressing change, or just an IV or therapy visit. Each bead is a victory over his heart defects, each one is something that he, and I, have accomplished.
The BOC program has been as wonderful for me as it has been for him, and I'm amazed at how much they mean to us. I was reading a post earlier about how some of your bead artists pray while making the beads for the BOC program, and it brought tears to my eyes. To think that not only you guys unselfishly donate your materials, time, and talent for our children, but also pieces of your souls, that is so amazing and I wanted to say thank you.
I recently sent another tally in to BOC and they are on their way. My son was originally scheduled for surgery on Tuesday, but it has been postponed until March 9th. So I'll have his new beads with me for that, and it will be around 8-10 hours, so I am picturing myself re-stringing and sorting his beads as we are waiting for news. I don't know why it makes me feel better to restring them, and change the order around, and just talk about them, but it does. The strings they send are practically indestructible, yet at the same time tie off really well. My original plan was to do them in chronological order, but I find I like just randomly putting them on to work better for us. When we get new beads, I don't just add them on the end, I unstring all 5 strands and start from scratch.
I know you rarely get to speak with any of the actual recipients of your beads, and I'd be more than happy to answer any questions, whether of a general or personal nature. I am not shy (can't you tell?) and it doesn't bother me to talk about his health, or my emotions, or his long-term prognosis. It actually helps sometimes. He is only 2, so he doesn't understand what his beads mean, but I do, and they mean more to me than I ever thought they would. To someone else, they may be just pieces of glass, but to me they are symbols of pride, strength, courage, and patience. You can e-mail me directly at
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Tamara Lemus
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