To my complete amazement I was honoured with the Heart of Stampin’Up award this year!

What is the award for or about?

Earlier in the year Stampin’Up requested nominations from Demonstrators for their Heart of Stampin’Up award. The award was for someone that demonstrates Stampin’Up’s “Statement of the Heart” in all that they do.

“To love what we do

and to share what we love,

as we help others enjoy creativity

and worthwhile accomplishments…….

in this we make a difference!“

Much to my amazement I was nominated several times over! Shelli Gardner CEO and Co-Founder of Stampin’Up personally read all the nominations and decided on the winner.

At Stampin’Up’s Convention Shelli read out the letter that won her over. It was a letter from my dear friend and fellow demonstrator Louise Ryan. Louise and I have met through Stampin’Up and our story goes a little like this……

I have been someone who had never been affected by the difficulties of having a loved one diagnosed with Breast Cancer. I knew it was around and was briefly aware of the dangers of Breast Cancer for Women.

Through being a Stampin’Up Demonstrator, I have the opportunity to meet lots of wondeful fellow Demosntrators at our monthly team meetings. It was at the very first one of these team meetings that I met Louise, and we hit it off immediately. Of course having our love of stamping in common drew us together, but also the fact that we had children of the same age, and she was a stay at home mum like myself. Over the following year our friendship really blossomed, and we could share many things from the heart together. Louise had shared with me her previous diagnoses and treatment of Breast Cancer when her second child was only 9 months old. I was amazed that this young vibrant woman has been through something that traumatic and thought about it for days.

Later that year Louise and I ventured over to Sydney together for the very first Stampin’Up Convention. Oh what a blast we had together, sharing all sorts of jokes, meals and a bar of Chocolate….or two!

Louise and I at the first Stampin’Up Convention in Sydney ‘07

It was roughly one month after our special trip together, that she met me and told me that she had been re-diagnosed with Breast Cancer and that she was booked in for a double mastectomy 4 days later. My immediate response was to burst into tears, and hold onto her tight. Now was the time for me to experience hearing the very sad news of someone’s plight with cancer. It troubled me that something like this could happen to someone so special, who really needed to be there for her family. Her husband was troubled, and I thought of how many other women may be going throug this very same plight.

At that time I started to do some research about Breast Cancer really to firstly educate myself, but to also see if there was ways I could help out. It was hard to not be able to take something into my hands and fix it! That is just my personality……but it was hard to realize that I couldn’t fix it completely. Having realized this, I began to think of ways I could possibly help other than the obvious making meals for the family, or cleaning the house.

So the idea of the Stamp a thon was born. I thought about Louise and our love of stamping and scrapbooking and how both are predominant hobbies for women. Since many women are affected by the devastation of Breast Cancer, I thought it would be a idea to raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation through our love of scrapbooking and stamping, and in a very small way I was helping Louise too.

The very first Stamp a thon for NBCF in 2007 went off like a treat! Louise was not long out of hospital from her surgery, and mangaged to pop in on the day. That was the highlight, to have her come along and see all the women to excited to raise funds. We managed to raise $ 1685 for NBCF, so we deemed the day a success.

This year we held the Stamp a thon again in August. Again it was a fabulous day with $ 2083 being raised. It was great to raise more this time around and to see everyone get behind it again. The best part of the day though would be that Louise was there with us! She had just finished her treatment of Chemo, and radiation and is growing in a new set of hair. Everyone was so happy to see her well and doing great.

Whilst I have managed to raise these funds for the NBCF, and to hopefully help them in their research for a cure for Breast Cancer, I by no means am a hero of any sort. The real heroes are those that suffer and fight for their lives, not allowing Breast Cancer to take it. Also the family members that stand behind them and support them, all living with the fear of losing their loved one.

Louise and her friend Vicki

It is with such joy that i see this photo of Louise at the Stamp a thon this year….she is on the left, with that gorgeous smile of hers, which amazingly has never left her face this whole time. She is such an inspiration to me, that in all the hardship she has endured, she has remained strong, positive, and cheerful. I am in awe of her and feel so blessed to call her my friend.

Louise’s nomination letter was read by Shelli at the Awards dinner, and what an emotional time it was!

When my name was announced I just about fainted, not to mention bursting into tears! I remember thinking “how in the world am I going to get up on stage!” I managed to get up there after having a wondeful hug from Louise.

I was given a beautiful gold heart neclace which I will cherish forever. Here I am recieving the award from Shelli:

Myself with Shelli

Myself with Shelli and Louise

A wonderful thanks to Louise and the others who nominated me for this award, and also to Stampin’Up for their continued support of Demonstrators!

If you would like to read more about the Stamp a thon, you will find details under the category “Stampin’Up Events”

Trackback URI | Comments RSS