Inspiring Teenager Smiles Through Her Challenges ~ The Story of Ellie

In December of this last year we received an email from Erin, who is the mother of a 17 year old daughter named Ellie. Ellie was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor when she was younger and has had many complications. In the last year alone, she has endured 13 brain surgeries. She also had surgery to her back due to a mass which left her with a paralyzed leg. She has spent far too many days in the hospital. Throughout all of this, her mother explained that Ellie has always kept a positive attitude and can mostly be found with a big, beautiful smile on her face.

Ellie with her mother

The reason Erin was writing to us was because Ellie had found our website and had been saving up to purchase one of our hospital gowns. Erin hoped that we might make her a part of our "Feel Better Campaign" as she was not yet able to purchase one of our hospital gowns, and she knew this would brighten her daughter's time in the hospital. At the time of her email to us, Ellie was hospitalized and about to undergo more surgery.

We couldn't think of a better person to receive one of our "Feel Better" hospital gowns to, so it was an easy decision for us. We sent her our "Annie" designer hospital gown and a few days later we received another email from Ellie's mother that made us both cry. The email contained step by step pictures of Ellie opening the hospital gown that we sent to her. Looking at the pictures made us feel like we were right there with her as she was opening up our gift...... and it was powerful! You can see for yourself in this short Flipagram video:



We have always known our hospital gowns can make a big difference in the life of anyone that has to spend time in the hospital and Ellie confirmed this, once again, for us. She is yet another reminder of why we started this business and why we continue to move forward with Annie & Isabel.

Ellie in her "Annie" hospital gown

After Ellie received her "Annie" hospital gown she wrote us a very nice thank you note and we have included some of that here so you can see what a sweet, thoughtful person she is:

"Most teenagers are worried about how perfect their hair and make-up look, or which party they will attend over the weekend. For me, it's a little different. I just want my hair to grow back completely so I can do different things to it. Forget weekend parties, I just pray to stay out of the hospital for the weekend. You see, in the last year or so I've had over 13 brain surgeries, 55+ spinal taps, at least 15 hospital admissions, countless nights in the PICU, and several ER visits & ambulance rides. I've been diagnosed with multiple serious chronic illnesses throughout the last few years. As a teenager it's been hard spending more time in the hospital then at home. Nurses and doctors are more of my friends than people my own age. But it's also taught me so much. I can't wait for the day when I'm able to attend college and follow my dream of becoming a pediatric oncology nurse. My passion is helping people and I love volunteering in any way possible when my health allows me. I frequently have surgeries or am in the hospital for extended stays. I try personalizing my room and bed up a bit, but to have a gown of my own just means so much! Anna & Selena, thank you SO, SO much for choosing me as your feel better campaign recipient. I truly an so honored, and grateful to be part of something so amazing. I can't thank you enough for the smiles and the happy tears you have brought to me at such a hard time. You are both wonderful people with amazing personalities and I just really can't put into words how much all of this means to me!!! Thank you, truly thank you!! ~ Ellie" 

We gave Ellie a small gift, but the truth is, she has given us a much greater gift. She has shown us how to stay positive in the face of so many obstacles, to live life to the fullest, and to always dream big. We are the ones honored to have Ellie as a "Feel Better Campaign" recipient and we can't thank Ellie and her mother enough for reaching out to us. Ellie's fighting spirit, huge heart, and positive attitude have touched us deeply.

Now we need YOUR help! Ellie has recently been re-admitted to the hospital and could use some good thoughts and prayers.

We would love if you could write some words of encouragement on our Facebook post as Ellie follows along. Ellie is always one to smile, even when she is feeling down, but let's help make that smile much bigger by letting her know there are people thinking about her! It just takes two easy steps:

1. "LIKE" our Facebook post because we feel like each LIKE is the same as giving sweet Ellie a nice big hug!

2. COMMENT on our Facebook post so she can read each message and feel the love and support surrounding her.

You all have always pulled through for our Annie & Isabel warriors so I can't wait to see us all do it again and imagine Ellie smiling with each message! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts (and Ellie's too).

Amanda Welcomes Baby Girl In Her "Evelyn" Designer Hospital Gown

It is always a nice surprise when customers send us pictures in our Annie & Isabel hospital gowns! Amanda sent us a nice testimonial along with these beautiful pictures via our Facebook page. She wore our "Evelyn" gown for the birth of her daughter.

"The gown made me feel normal on a special day. All the nurses loved it and inquired where to get one!" 

"It made me feel special and the first pics with my little one were so much better than the drab hospital gowns."

"Thank you so much again. I was very excited to stumble across your gowns. I also am a registered nurse and know all too well how ugly and non human my patients feel in hospital gowns. I was glad to feel pretty and normal in my gown!"

 ~ Amanda - Toledo, Ohio

Congratulations to you and your family Amanda and thank you for sharing your experience with us!! We LOVE receiving testimonials so if you have worn an Annie & Isabel gown and would like to share some pictures and your story, please email us at wecare@annieandisabel.com or send us a message via Facebook.

Prayers for Lidia - #OhSoPoshStrong

There are some people in this world that just make other people better. I found somebody just like this a couple of years ago and have followed her through Facebook and Istagram ever since then. Her name is Lidia and she is a breast cancer survivor and she also has a daughter who has overcome her own health issues. She has taken her own hardships and used them to show others how strength, passion, faith, and love can get you through your darkest moments and even push you to use those life experiences to help others. So, it was extremely heartbreaking when I saw on her Facebook page, Oh So Posh Photography, that she is currently hospitalized and facing a probable recurrence of cancer.

Lidia with sweet daughter, Isadora
{photo credit - Oh So Posh Facebook page}

Lidia has touched the hearts of thousands of people including mine. She uses her talents to give selflessly to others through an organization that she founded, The Tiny Sparrow Foundation, in which she and other photographers photograph children who are facing life threatening illnesses. Through her Facebook page and blog she always looks for ways to help inspire others to be better people…..and she does.

It is her amazing way of touching others that is now working to help bring a huge amount of support her way. She is surrounded with love and prayers by thousands of her followers….most of whom have never met Lidia. We wanted to help bring more love, prayers and support her way.

We are asking all of our Annie & Isabel followers to band together again like we have so many times in the past and show our support for Lidia. Please help us by doing the following:

1. LIKE our Facebook post HERE to help share her story and continue to surround her in our love.

2. Leave a comment of support on our Facebook post to Lidia as she needs as much support as possible right now.

3. Send Lidia a real card. I can tell you from experience that receiving a card in the mail via snail mail can do wonders in lifting a person's spirits!!

Lidia Grigorean
9720 Coit Rd, Suite 220-222
Plano, TX 75025

4. If you use Instagram send her a message with the hashtag #ohsoposhstrong. She is reading all of these and has already said how much every message means to her.

We have made Lidia our latest "Feel Better Campaign" recipient and are sending her our "Evelyn" designer hospital gown in hopes it will bring a smile to her face, comfort while in the hospital, and strength to take on and kick cancer's butt again! We know sweet Isadora will love her Mommy's beautiful hospital gown and that alone is....everything.

To help understand what a special human being Lidia is, please read a post she wrote a year ago which talks about her struggles and how she has used those to make her a better person. It is a pretty powerful post:

"I Made Her Because I Love Her"

Lidia…we want you to know that you are in our thoughts and prayers and you have the support of all our Annie & Isabel warriors!!  Take in all the support you are receiving and let it help bring you strength as you prepare to fight once again.

New Mother Amy in "The Annie" Annie & Isabel Designer Hospital Gown

A beautiful testimonial from Amy about wearing her Annie designer hospital gown for the birth of her first child.

"I have given Annie & Isabel gowns to a bunch of my friends as gifts, and was thrilled when it was my turn to receive and wear one!  It was comfortable, cute and functional. I gave birth to Charlotte in Switzerland and I was definitely the most stylish new mom during my 5-day hospital stay.  (Yes, 5 days....that's Europe for you!)"

 
 
Amy & Charlotte, born May 29, 2012

To read more testimonials from the women who have worn our gowns, click HERE. 

Mom of 2 Boys Celebrates Birth Of Baby Girl In Her "Annie" Designer Hospital Gown

As we have been reflecting  and collecting pictures of all the beautiful women who wore our hospital gowns in 2013, we stumbled upon this testimonial and had to share it with all of you! 

"Being a mom of two boys, I was sprinkled with everything blue. When we found out we were expecting a baby girl you can only imagine how crazy we went with pink! One of my favorite gifts was from a dear college friend, Jill - it was a designer pink and black polka dot Annie & Isabel gown. I was so excited to wear this on the day I was going to meet my daughter! I felt feminine, comfortable, fashionable and clean. All the nurses at Stanford complimented me on the gown and couldn't believe how darling it was. They kept saying I shouldn't walk around the hallways because all the other moms delivering would get jealous! 

I will never forget those first moments cradling our new daughter, Grace, in my arms wearing the Annie and Isabel gown. Thank you for being a part of the most important day of my life!

XO,

Barbara" 

Congrats to Barbara and Kevin! It's not too late to send us your 2013 pictures!! Email us at wecare@annieandisabel.com. We are looking forward to sharing our 2013 testimonial video soon.

Living Life After Cancer

It is hard to believe it has been two years since I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. It seems like just yesterday that I received that call from my doctor telling me I had cancer. Not a day has gone by since that phone call that I don’t think about my cancer and how it has changed me. It has been a very long, hard, journey and, for the first time in these last two years, I can honestly say that I finally feel good and am happy with where I am at.

It’s interesting with these “cancerversaries” because, on the one hand, I am excited to have another healthy year under my belt and I want to celebrate that milestone. On the other hand, in the weeks prior to my cancer anniversaries, all the emotions and feelings of my diagnosis, and what I went through, start to swirl back, causing a bit of anxiety which, in turn, make me want to just get past that anniversary date.  Last year was much worse because it was all so fresh in my mind and I still wasn’t feeling great.  This year my anxiety is not as intense but it is still lurking in my consciousness. I’m hoping with each year that passes, this anxiousness will ease.

When I was diagnosed with cancer it was quite shocking. I felt like a million bucks at the time and I couldn’t understand how this could happen to me. With the help of my family and friends, however, I became determined to kick the crap out of this cancer.......and I did.  What I didn’t realize at the time was that, for me, going through the surgeries and treatment for thyroid cancer was going to be the easiest part of this journey. The aftermath of cancer and the medications I needed to take, and still need to take, to keep the cancer from coming back, proved to be a much greater challenge for me. I had periods of feeling really angry inside because I started to wonder if I was ever going to feel good again. For over a year and a half, I woke up almost every day feeling achy and tired. It was a struggle going out looking good on the outside but not feeling so great on the inside. I had a huge amount of guilt because I felt that I should be grateful for being cancer free, and don’t get me wrong, because I was.  I was also depressed because I was in a constant state of fatigue. Running errands, figuring out what to make for dinner, going shopping, making dinner, driving my four boys to the gazillions of activities they had going on, and trying to make it through my 12 hour shifts as a nurse in a busy emergency room  all were so overwhelming. The guilt of telling my kids I didn’t want to go outside and play with them, because I felt achy and just needed to sit on the couch, made me feel like such a failure sometimes. Deep down I knew my kids were just fine but I yearned to go out, run and play with them.

In the beginning of this journey, I really felt strongly that cancer was going to make me a better, stronger person. I definitely appreciated my family, friends and health a whole lot more than I did prior to my diagnosis. As the days, weeks, and months passed by, and I still did not feel like my old energetic, fun self, I began to question whether this cancer really was making me a better person. I certainly didn’t feel strong. Frankly, it really pissed me off that I might never feel good again. It angered me that I couldn’t control how I felt. I had to rely on a medication to give me the energy that my thyroid used to do on its own but I was required to take more of that very medication to keep the cancer away. That, in turn, made me feel bad. I started asking myself, is this really making me a better person??

I began to wonder if I just needed to come to terms with the “new me”. I even hoped that I would forget what it felt like to feel good because then maybe I could deal with the fatigue better. Maybe if I could just get used to it, the thoughts of my fatigue would not consume me. The problem was that I couldn’t just get used to feeling achy and feeling like my brain was in a fog all the time. It just all felt frustrating and I came very close to telling my doctor that I didn’t think I could deal with the way I felt for much longer.

Fortunately, a wonderful thing happened to me.  I was given the great news that I was still cancer free after my one year testing and, because of this, my doctor allowed me to back off of my medications a little bit.  Over the next 4 months I began to feel less achy and have a whole lot more energy. I felt like the fog was finally lifting and I was getting glimpses of my old energetic self and what an amazing feeling that was! Now, two years after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer, I have days where I hardly think about my cancer because I often feel “normal”.   It is a beautiful feeling and something I definitely do not take for granted.

So am I a better, stronger person because of this cancer diagnosis? This journey continues to teach me a lot about myself. I am much more grateful for each day.....the good, the bad, AND the ugly days. I might complain sometimes but I am always able to put myself in check.....because I had cancer. I am painfully aware that there are so many others diagnosed with cancer traveling much tougher roads which sometimes lead to death. I don’t take life for granted......because I had cancer. I see hundreds of acutely and chronically ill patients every day in my job and I now know what it means to not feel great for a lengthy period of time. I will never take my good health for granted.....because I had cancer. I often see Facebook posts about how sad it is that the weekend is over and it is only the start of the long new week.  I used to feel the same way, but those types of posts really bug me now. I love EVERY day of the week...especially Monday......because I had cancer.  Life is fragile and things can change in an instant.  I know...... because I had cancer. So, YES, I am a better, stronger person who is extremely grateful to be healthy and I feel blessed to wake up each day and find the beauty in each waking hour.....because I had cancer.

Photo by Brenda Bisharat Photography

The Loss Of A Mother, Friend, and Annie & Isabel Warrior

This past July we received a nice note from one of our customers, Maura, whose mother was battling leukemia. Maura purchased four Annie & Isabel hospital gowns for her mother who was in the hospital for two months over the summer due to many complications from her leukemia.

Christine in the ICU in her "Anita" hospital gown with daughter, Maura

Maura wrote the following email to us:

"My mother, Christine, is finally going home. Unfortunately she is not in remission so she will need more chemo but at least when she goes back to the hospital, she will have her four lovely gowns. She's finally up and having her dunkin donuts!"

"Thanks for everything. Seeing her in your gowns while in the ICU helped everyone see her as a person, not just a patient"

That last sentence from Maura really struck us because it is something we have heard from other customers and was one of the reasons why we felt having your own hospital gown was important when we started this business. It is easy for medical staff to treat every patient as just that…..a patient. Doctors get so caught up treating patients and trying to heal them, which is extremely important, however, sometimes doctors forget about the actual person behind that standard hospital gown. That is an easy thing to do when every patient wears the same standard hospital gown. Having your own, cheery, hospital gown not only provides comfort to a patient but it also often helps doctors and nurses pause and take notice of the beautiful person behind that beautiful gown.

Christine was a fighter! After two months in the hospital, fighting leukemia, renal failure, a bleed in her brain, and ICU psychosis, she was discharged just prior to the 4th of July with plans of what she was going to cook for the 4th of July celebration. You can see her fighting spirit in these pictures.

Smiling in her "Anita" gown with her "Isabel" & "Annie" gowns ready at the bedside

Unfortunately, a few weeks ago, Maura wrote to us to let us know her mother passed away December 3rd. Maura wanted us to know that her mother always felt special in her Annie & Isabel gowns. Maura plans to wear her mother's Annie & Isabel gowns if she and her husband have children in the future in order to help keep her mother close to her heart. LOVE THAT!

Christine & Maura celebrating Maura's special wedding day together

Maura, we are so sorry for your incredible loss. It is very evident how much you both loved each other and she will forever remain close to your heart. Big hugs to you and your family.

Photo Credit: Bharat Parmar Photography

Radiation Treatments…..In Style

A large number of Annie & Isabel gowns are sold to women fighting breast cancer. They help brighten the spirits of women recovering from their mastectomies while in the hospital and at home. They also provide comfort for women having to go through daily radiation treatments. We have had so many women write to us telling us how nice it was to have their own personal Annie & Isabel hospital gown for these treatments. We recently received a testimonial from breast cancer warrior, Lynn, pictured above. She is currently fighting breast cancer and we would love if you could keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she continues receiving radiation treatments.

Here is an email that Lynn sent to us:

"I was diagnosed in September with breast cancer by my yearly mammogram. I had surgery at Stanford Women's Cancer Center in October and began radiation treatment in November at home in San Luis Obispo. The radiation treatments are every day for 7 weeks.

I received the gift of an Annie & Isabel gown from a friend with the message to keep calm and heal strong so every day when I arrive at radiation, I take my "Annie" gown out of my cubicle and wear it with those thoughts, also knowing how fortunate I am to have been diagnosed and that I will be well soon. Have a mammogram and tell a friend to do the same."

~ Lynn