It was so odd having that in the middle of the week - I was convinced all day yesterday that it was Sunday and now I'm just confused.
But what I'm NOT confused about is my friend Danielle. Her dad recently went through a terrible ordeal, and thankfully made it through, with a little help from her friends.
Here's a summary of what she has to say about what happened to her family:
Neat and Tangled owner Danielle Walls father, Dan, became unexpectedly ill after a routine knee surgery. He had a series of complications following the procedure and then developed and was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) in March of 2017. CRPS is a complex, progressive disease of the nervous system. The pain is characterized as constant and extremely intense. The pain is often accompanied by swelling, skin changes, extreme sensitivity, and in most cases is debilitating. You can read much more about his journey HERE.
It is difficult to put into words how much of a nightmare CRPS is, so please take a few minutes to watch this short video to get a better understanding of how life altering this disease can be.
After several failed attempts to heal through traditional medicine, at the end of their ropes, Danielle and her family discovered Dr. Katinka van der Merwe and The Neurologic Relief Center. Dr. Katinka specializes in revolutionary, non-invasive, non-pharcaeutical therapies to treat patients suffering from CRPS. THIS is a great article written by Dr. Katinka outlining what it is they do. Treatment at this center is costly, as insurance will not cover most of the therapies they provide. It is also 10-12 weeks of treatment, and requires living in Arkansas near the clinic for the duration of the the treatment.
Because of the kindness and compassion of friends, family, and the crafting community, enough funds were raised so that Danielle's father was able to receive care at the Center. He arrived in Arkansas in August of 2017, and at the end of October 2017, with Danielle by his side, Dan was able to ring the bell at the completion of his treatment. You can view the video of his bell ringing ceremony HERE, please keep in mind that when Dan had first arrived in Arkansas he had lost significant weight, was depressed and anxious, was unable to hold conversation and was easily confused, and was almost completely immobile. To see him smiling, standing and speaking just 11 short weeks later is nothing short of a miracle. In December of 2017 he was able to return to work full time, and he is just enjoying life each day now! I encourage you to take a look at the rest of the The Neurologic Relief Center's Facebook page to see interviews with patients, and question and answer videos from Dr. K and her staff.
Most patients with CRPS have exhausted their funds trying any and all other treatments some causing more harm than good, most have put themselves into great debt seeking healing. Many are just unable to afford the cost of care at The Neurologic Relief Center to begin with. If it were not for the help of fundraising, Dan would have left the center in extreme debt which is such a burden to overcome.
It has been on Danielle's heart ever since then to pay it forward to others who are in a similar situation. The biggest help in Dan's fundraising, was when Simon Says Stamp donated all the sales of Neat and Tangled's 2017 STAMPtember set to Dan's GoFundMe, you can see more about that HERE. So many of you bought that set, and had a hand in Dan's healing whether you knew it or not! Using the same idea, Danielle has started the Crafting With Compassion campaign, and designed the Celebrate You stamp set and Celebrate You dies to help this cause. All profits from the sales of these sets will go directly towards CRPS patients in financial need at The Neurologic Relief Center, and also those who are still waiting to get to the center due to financial limitations. If you wish, you can also just make a straight donation with no purchase necessary on the Neat and Tangled website. All funds raised will be donated to The Burning Limb Foundation, who in turn will work with Dr. Katinka to distribute the funds. The purpose of Crafting With Compassion is to remind us that not only should we feel empathy for those suffering, but we should also take action and do something about it.
Please realize the power we have when we all come together. Even if everyone just does a little, it can add up to a lot. Because of the compassion of others, Dan's life was truly changed. Now, let's help change some more!
So today, a few of her friends are getting together to help her kick off her Crafting with Compassion campaign, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it.
I just used the dies from the bundle to cut one set from white cardstock, and one from the no-shed glitter paper and then I layered them. I glued that onto a fine, handmade paper unicorn. I found these unicorns when I was shopping with Kat after retreat and I've been hoarding them for just the right moment and this was it!
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Shopping for crafty goodies is always fun, but even more so when it helps people, so I hope you will join me in supporting Danielle's admirable cause!
Here's what the matching stamp set looks like!
As awesome as a unicorn!
Loveyameanitbye.
That’s definitely a celebratory unicorn! A wonderful card for a wonderful cause.
ReplyDeleteI know someone with AMPS which is under the umbrella of CRPS and this may be the answer. So glad to learn about this treatment. Awesome card for a great cause!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you created and hopped for your friend!
ReplyDeleteLydia - you know the most amazing people and I simply adore the fact that you find ways to incorporate your social conscience with all your crafty goodness - count me in! Kudos to you young lady!
ReplyDeleteWonderful card design. Love the unicorn image.
ReplyDeleteThat's beautiful Lydia!
ReplyDeleteHow awful for Danielle's father to have to go through what he did. I'm so glad he responded so well to treatment. I know some of his pain. I have suffered with Lyme disease for the past 35 years. I was diagnosed with a form of CRPS. I had constant, excruciating pain around my left eye. I went years of being on different medications til we found one that worked. I was finally at a 2-3 for my pain. Eight years later, my insurance refused to pay for it anymore. I was back in bed 24-7 with no relief in sight. Then I was referred to a pain intervention center here and after 6 months of testing, I received an implanted device that sends pain medication directly into my spinal canal. Now my pain is 2-4 which I can live with instead of 10+++. I will definitely be buying the 2 items at Neat & Tangled!! Sorry this is so long, but I felt it was important to tell about this debilitating disease.
ReplyDeleteWOW ! What a fab glittery, sparkly unicorn. Such a funky colourful image with the fab sentiment through his middle. Brilliant way to inspire us all thank you x
ReplyDeleteLydia, love your Unicorn, definitely a great card to use it on. TY for helping to bring awareness for help of a disease that few people know about. Love the cause and we also win with great new products!!
ReplyDeleteI like the sparkly sentiment and the unique unicorn.
ReplyDeleteI love unicorns! I have a book that has all kinds of unicorn short stories and I have read it a few times already. They are so magical. Your unicorn looks very sparkly and magical. Maybe he can grant my wish and fix my computer? LOL I love your card! I've never head of this disease but I kind of know what these people are going though. My 90 year old mom has had bone on bone in her knees for years. She never got them fixed. She also has the start of arthritis in her shoulder and she is getting something in her wrist and hand. She is always in pain but nothing like what was described above and she goes for therapy 2 days a week and goes to a chiropractor once a week along with all the meds she takes. Everyone is in my prayers and when my computer gets fixed I can buy this stamp set. I can't do much on this old computer.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic card! Thank you for participating in this hop and bringing awareness to this cause.
ReplyDeleteScary disease!!! I am so glad there is some help out there. Thanks for sharing the cause. Your unicorn is soooo fun! I love that it's not purple. Not that I have anything against purple, I like purple but it's so fun to see something unique!
ReplyDeleteAwesome fundraising campaign!!! Love the awesome card you created for this cause!!!
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