An unforeseen gift that we have been given in starting our business, Annie & Isabel, is being touched by so many strong, inspirational women who are fighting courageous battles with cancer and other chronic illnesses. We have found that most of these women, once they have completed treatments, and even sometimes when there is not a cure for their cancer, often talk about the blessings of their cancer experience. They talk about having fuller lives, filled with a joy, and a zest for living life to the fullest. They talk about living in a way that they will leave no regrets. They talk about really connecting to other people. They talk about seeing what is important and not sweating the small stuff. They talk about never taking things for granted, being grateful and feeling loved. While we would never wish to go through a cancer diagnosis, it makes us almost envious, in a way, listening to these women because they seem to have been given the gift of discernment. They seem to have everything right. I think, only until you are faced with a life battle can you understand this. We, therefore, try to learn from these amazing women and change our lives to enjoy as much as possible and to remember to look out for opportunities to love others whenever we can. We feel so honored to count these women as our friends. Annie and Isabel brought us together and their collective life wisdom is the gift that we have been given by being touched by women.
Recently, through twitter, we got the following tweets:
After reading these tweets we were so excited to be contacted by a happy customer. It gives us such great joy when we get feedback from those that have worn an Annie & Isabel hospital gown. We went on to read Sharon's blog, Shae's Window To The Soul, and found that she received her hospital gown after being diagnosed with breast cancer. We were so touched by reading Sharon's journey in overcoming breast cancer on her blog. You see, her journey started well before she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer has ravaged her family. We invite you to read her blog post written in October 2010 called, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, written only months before her own diagnosis.
Sharon's blog posts are honest and sometimes heart wrenching stories of what it has been like for her to live with breast cancer in her family, be diagnosed with breast cancer herself, go through surgery and breast cancer treatments, and finally, to begin the journey of moving forward with life after treatments.
Sharon is a gifted writer and an obviously strong woman and someone we can all learn from. Her blog posts are like reading short novels. They bring you in and make you want to keep reading the next blog post. Sharon is a reminder to remember what the important things in life are, to appreciate every day........and don't sweat the small stuff!
As Sharon mentioned above, she wore the "Elizabeth" Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown.
Here is what she had to say about her experience wearing her Elizabeth designer hospital gown:
"I received the Elizabeth gown from my cousin and his wife after I had described a moment pre-surgery stating I could fit another person in my choir-robe style hospital gown. Knowing I would have radiation treatment, they sent me one of your beautiful gowns.
Not only are the Annie & Isabel gowns well made and durable, they are stylish. The Elizabeth gown is bright and colorful, which is a nice break from the standard, faded, monotone hospital gowns. As women, we know all too well how the right outfit, accessory or shoe can be a pick-me-up, and my designer gown fit that role during my treatment.
during my 7 weeks of treatment, I saw many ladies who could have used a gift like an Annie & Isabel gown. Attitude is everything when you are in the battle of your life and cancer treatments can often strip a woman of her femininity. When a woman is battling cancer, a fresh, fashionable, feminine gown can be a real boost to how she feels as she endures weeks or months of treatment.
Each time I wore my gown, I felt the love and prayers of the people who gave me such a creative and stylish gift!"
Sharon ~ Houston, Texas
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