Graciela Artiz's Eagle Project
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My name is Graciela Artiz, and I am working on my Eagle Project. My project is inspired by the life and memory of my little brother David.
David was diagnosed with Leukemia in March 2020. He went through so many different treatments at the Bone Marrow Transplant unit of Children’s Hospital LA. David went through chemotherapy before having a bone marrow transplant. Then after the transplant, he had many treatments to help his body accept the new bone marrow he received. He suffered through Graft versus Host disease, Engraftment Syndrome, Kidney and Liver Problems and so much more. To treat these things he took over 25 prescription medications everyday, received blood and platelet transfusions a few times a week, and went through a process called photopheresis.
These challenges barely scratch the surface of everything David went through. He spent over a hundred nights in the hospital, had blood drawn multiple times a week, and had 2-3 appointments every week that he was home. He even had a very strict “BMT Diet” that limited what he could eat and drink. After his Bone marrow Transplant, David was hospitalized many times for different complications. Two of these visits included stays in the Intensive Care unit.
18 months passed between David being diagnosed with Leukemia and when he lost his battle with cancer. Through all of his visits and stays at CHLA, David’s favorite days were when therapy dogs visited him and when he got toys. He loved visits with his favorite nurses, and he loved the cards and postcards he was given.
Being in the hospital for a long period of time is really hard and scary for both the patient and for their families, so my Eagle Project is focused on helping CHLA patients and their families.
The first part of my project is already done: Students at La Salle High School made 313 greeting cards that will be given to patients at CHLA to help cheer them up..
The next part is where I need your help. I want to help kids and their families while they are at the hospital, so I am planning to do a few different things for them. This fundraising request is going to fund the materials we need to create kits for patients and parents, blankets for patients, and bags for Beads of Courage.
Specialized Kits
- The first kit would be a toiletry kit filled with toothpaste, toothbrush, and things like that so the parents can worry about one less thing.
- The second kit will be an art kit for younger patients.
- The third kit will be an art kit for older patients.
- The last kit will be a play dough kit where there will be play dough and the tools used to play with the play dough.
Blankets
- We will be making blankets for the kids because it gets cold in the hospital. Also the blankets provide a sense of comfort for the kids when they are going through a hard time like chemotherapy.
Beads of Courage Bags
- We will be making bags for the beads of courage program. The beads of courage program is when the patient gets a different type of bead for everything that they do in the hospital. For example a black bead is for each time you do your bloodwork .
Thank you so much for your support. Any amount that you can give is greatly appreciated.
Graciela Artiz
Organizer
Luis Artiz
Organizer
Pasadena, CA