Little Beads

This is a guest post by Beads of Courage member Mary Myers Huddleston, a 17-year-old in our Chronic Illness program.  She wrote about her recent hospitalization for a school assignment. 

The young man, clothed in blue scrubs with a surgical mask around his neck, sat on the edge of my bed.  Leaning over, he cupped his hands around my ear and whispered: “I know this is so hard, but you can’t give up; this is the time that you have to fight as hard as you can -- I believe in you.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. My heart palpitating deep in the depths of my chest. I feel the cold sweat beading around my hairline and the tear rolling off my cheek.  My parents were out of town.

I just wanted my mom. 

Linda, a middle-aged nurse with short blond hair and thick, colorful clog shoes, knocks on my door: “Good to see you again. How are you feelin’, sweet pea?” she asked.  

Support Beads of Courage in September!

You see a bead.  We see a story.

September is National Bead Challenge Month.  All month long, we are working hard to raise much-needed funds to support our mission and sustain our programs.

And we need your help!  

Beads of Courage, Inc. is a nonprofit organization serving over 60,000 children who are coping with cancer, congenital heart defects, and other serious or life-threatening conditions.

As a nonprofit, we rely on the kindness of people like you to help us put beads in the hands of courageous kids – beads that honor their journey and show everything they’ve  accomplished in the face of tough challenges.