Mrs. Santa has a Heart! Donations for Research

My article in the current issue of Needlepoint Now deals with the wonderful idea presented to me by Old Town Needlework in Scottsdale, Arizona, where Alice Borge is planning to "run for the Cure" in November for a good friend who has breast cancer. There are certain canvases - many of them in fact, that are designated as "profits donated to cancer research." This also includes the wonderful children's art from the program at M.D. Anderson - proceeds going to cancer research for children. (Denise de Rusha provides the painted canvases) The store has a section too, of canvases for donations for heart research.

Heart disease is actually the #1 killer of women in this country - and having been touched with major illness myself, this is of primary concern to me. When I decided to do this article - as I would love to see shops and designers across the country follow - I asked my friend Gail Hendrix (see her blog and her e-bay store posted on my list) to design a special piece for me to show, as I really love her style. (Another splendid designer, Anne Stradal, also provided a canvas for this article - an egg for breast cancer, as she is a ten year survivor herself. Do see her site listed here as "Anne Stradal's Catalog")

Gail has recently told me that she plans to donate a percentage of her wholesale for this little ornament to heart research, so I wanted to show it again. My condition would not have been as devastating a few years ago if I had heeded the warnings or known the meaning of the symptoms - or if my mother had been aware of symptoms when I was a child. (actually, it never kept me off the dance floor or the water skis back then, but it was bothersome at times) Also - a few months ago, the needlepoint community here in Austin lost, suddenly, a very dear friend and an active member of our "stitching group." She didn't even know she was sick, and went to bed one night thinking she had pulled a muscle in her left arm - and never woke up. Again, if we were more aware of this heart thing - and if there were more research being done, these things might be prevented.

Do take a look at Alice's store: Old Town Needlework Also at Gail's sites. I think it would be great to have this little ornament on the tree at Christmas - or displayed year round, as it symbolizes a donation to heart research. Besides - it's awfully cute!!

UPDATE: I just got an e-mail from Anne, telling me she also donates proceeds to breast cancer research - to the Susan B. Komen Foundation. Here's the egg, in case you have missed it - it's charming! Also, as are Gail's canvases, it's stitch painted, which makes it super easy and pleasant to work.