NEWS

November 17th, 2007 by Holly A. Messina

JBB News — November 2007

What has JBB been up to since the cut-a-thon?   I’ve got a lot to share with you.

I had the ideal situation going on here with Michael developing and maintaining the JBB website and Stephen doing some graphics until we lost the motherboard on our computer.  So, for the same price as the repair, I bought a laptop to run the non-profit.  The reason you have not had JBB news or anything new on the site is… I now had software that didn’t work on the new computer, corrupt files (one by one), non- compatible files with my printing company, and more.  For those of you who have experienced problems with “Windows Vista,” you may understand why I have been non-productive on the computer for almost a year.  Enough about my complaints with computer problems… let me move on with all the exciting things I’ve been working on.  I’ve upgraded to Windows XP (ha ha ha).  I know, I said I would stop complaining.

Brownie troops and Girl Scouts…  I met with several different troops and met some very caring and generous young girls who donated several items to fill the JBB “Family Feel Good Paks.”  I talked with the girls about children with cancer and what it is like to be in the hospital.  I introduced them to the “Blood Buddies” and some of the products that I am working on.  Their contributions made many patients smile. 

Skooter, our family pet, my little pal, and Therapy Dog

After one year of training and exposure to situations of noise and distraction, Skooter passed his tests and is now a registered Pet Partners Therapy Dog.  He started his “official” visits with patients at the Floating Hospital for Children this summer.  He is amazing with these kids.  He performs many tricks, lets the kids pat him and sometimes just lies next to patients.  Some kids get sad if they are not well enough for a visit with Skooter or they get sad when he has to leave.  It made me sad, too.  So, now I hand out “Skooter Cards” with his picture, profile, favorite things, likes and dislikes.  Soon,  you will be able to keep up-to-date with Skooter on our website.

In memory of one of Joseph’s favorite little cancer friends, who became good pals with Skooter during his visits to The Floating Hospital, I’d like to share these pictures with you.  This is Maddi, a courageous little girl who handled her treatments with strength like the Hulk.  She loved to pass time with Skooter while having her chemo.  Maddi decided one day that Skooter should have a middle name.  So, she said that his name should be, “Skooter Buddy Messina.”  So, Skooter Buddy it is.

We miss our visits with Maddi, but we will cherish our fond memories always.

May 5, 1999 – August 22, 2007

Presentation to Medical Students

"To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world"

It was with great honor to have been invited to deliver a presentation to Medical Students of Tufts New England Medical Center.  This quote was on my first slide… because Joseph thought the world of his doctors.  They had the power to make him feel safe and to make us feel confident that he was in good hands. 

I was able to present to them our story and talk about some of the things that worked for us and some that did not.  I shared my feelings, as to how a parent feels at diagnosis, during treatment and death.  The students were enthusiastic and asked some great questions.  I'm looking forward to doing this again.

JBB Jewelry is now available on this site

I designed a bracelet to match the JBB earrings and it has been a big hit.  The bracelet is made of Sterling Silver and Swarovski Crystals.  I chose these colors to represent the strength within a cancer patient:  Stem Cell, Red Cell, White Cell, and Platelet.  The gold ribbon is for Childhood Cancer.  100% of the proceeds go to The JBB Project, Inc.

Locally, you can find JBB Jewelry at Beadles bead shop and Unique Hair Salon in Westford.

 
There’s more…  Soon, you will see the JBB Remembrance Earrings on-line.  I named these earrings after cancer patients who were close to Joseph’s situation.  Example: “Allie Doodles” is named for Allison who still fights Stage IV, Neuroblastoma.  They are Sterling Silver with three different shades of purple Swarovski crystals (because she is all about the color purple). 

The JBB Project has begun production of the Buddy Pak and hope to be using them by January.  We’ll give you more information when they are complete.