Johnny's 'CreatewithLove' Bags 4 Childhood Cancer
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$2,703 raised of $3K
62 donations
Hello! My name is Blue, and the beautiful boy pictured is my husband Jonathon Bustamante. All funds will be raised in honor of his name and geared towards making and providing Johnny’s ‘Create with Love' bags to kids and teens fighting childhood cancer.
The idea of these goodie bags began in 2019 while Jonathon was receiving his radiation treatments at Loma Linda for Childhood Rhabdomyosarcoma. Rhabdomyosarcoma is an aggressive form of childhood cancer that attacks the soft tissue of the muscle. Diagnosed in 2017 at just 17 years old, Jonathon fought like hell for three incredibly hard years before the cancer spread to his bones and quickly became untreatable. In his three years of treatment, Jonathon went through nearly 90+ rounds of chemo, multiple clinical trials, 30+ radiation treatments and major surgeries; including scans, ER & hospital room visits, and everything in between.
Johnny gained his icy white wings and Heaven gained the brightest, sweetest angel on November 29, 2020, just two months after Jon’s 20th birthday.
More on his cancer journey and life story further on, I could talk about him for pages.
Jonathon and I first started making goodie bags in October of 2019 to give to the kids and teens receiving treatment at the Children's Oncology center of Loma Linda, where he would also be receiving treatment from. He knew that he wanted to do something for the kids but him being an older teen fighting cancer himself, we automatically realized how little awareness comes with childhood cancer, especially the representation for teenagers. We started fundraising and collecting for the bags in October of 2019 in order to get them to the kids just in time for Halloween. Everything about the Halloween goodie bags were so successful, we had a bunch of amazing donors from businesses, strangers, to family and friends. We had the opportunity to take the bags to the kids at the oncology center on the morning of Halloween and they all absolutely loved it, man especially Jonathon. It was so successful, we decided we were gonna try to do this every holiday. December nearing the holidays came around and the same thing, successful and the kids loved it! Around this time though, covid precautions started coming in so being able to hand the bags to the kids personally was no longer an option and most fundraising/charities were put at a halt.
After Jon passed in November of 2020, continuing these goodie bags was something I knew I was going to do in honor of him, but I also knew how hard it was going to be to do without him. So it took some time. Seeing how happy the kids would get with simple goodie bags was something genuinely so special to the both of us. The heights Jon would’ve taken this to would’ve been amazing and I just really wish he was here to help me say it.
Even though I talked mostly about the hardships Jonathon went through on his journey with cancer, it didn't stop him from being a light and love to everyone around him. To give back even when he himself is struggling so hard. It never stopped his light. And it definitely never stopped him from being able to create an outlet to express himself with. He loved poetry, art, and music, and cooking, any form of creation he dove himself into. He adored gardening and the fruit he would bear. Even when his body was weak from chemo the day before he still found his way down the hill to the garden to tend to his plants. It gave him strength, it gave him confidence and patience for his body. He was an artist in the rawest form. Seeing him and being by his side in situations where he is creating, like making music, writing or painting, I saw just how much of a savior art was for him during times he would never know how to explain how he felt. Creating was an outlet to express; especially when you don’t know how to explain what you’re going through.
What is ‘Create with Love’ ?
The idea of Johnny’s ‘Create with Love’ bags came to mind while I was thinking about my husband and his artistic thoughts fully in mind.
With Jonathon’s 23rd birthday and Childhood Cancer Awareness month just passing this September; I knew I was going to do the bags again, but I really wanted them to have a bigger purpose. Something that the kids and teens could keep with them forever, and stay with them in most situations. Art, and the ability to create. Art exists in so many forms, music, paint, poetry and literature, photography, gardening and fashion, the list is honestly never ending. Where growing minds exist, creation exists. The purpose of Johnny’s ‘Create with Love’ bags comes with giving children and teens struggling with cancer more resources and opportunities to be able to express themselves in ways they might’ve never thought or had the chance to before.
All funds we raise are going towards filling up different variations of tote bags for the children at the Loma Linda Pediatrics Oncology center, depending on age. Kids range from ages as young as a few months to 22 years old, so there would be a difference in the bags.
Items like disposable cameras, gift cards in order to develop the film, sketchbooks, watercolor packs, journals, and art magazines are just a few things I was thinking of obtaining for the teens and older kids.
For kids a little younger, harmonicas, sketchbooks, how-to drawing books, bead making kits, building blocks, markers, journals, and craft kits are also what I was thinking.
I’m also gonna get a hold of some local art museums to see if we could possibly get some free admission passes!
If you were looking to help in any way, any type of donation that would pertain to help keep a kid's creativity in their heart would be more than amazing.
Below I also added an Amazon wish list with just a few items that were gonna be purchased using donation funds!
Amazon WishList:
My email is also stated through go fund me for any reasons at all to contact me. My IG is also: @puppyslay3r
I’ll post updates as I start to order the items going in the bags to keep everyone in the loop :)
More on Jonathon’s cancer journey and life story:
Facebook/ IG page on Jon’s updates throughout the years and his ongoing impact made by his mother, Martha, who continues to raise awareness & spread his name:
If you’ve gotten this far, thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read about Jon and his journey and all the reasons behind ‘Create with Love.’
Any donation or even a share would make that much of a difference in giving the kids/teens fighting something they could keep with them always. I can’t wait to continue to do this every year and eventually give the kids more and more opportunities to create, especially in Johnny’s honor and name.
‘Look for love in everything and everything that you do.’ - Jonathon
I love you!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! #JOHNNYSTRONG forever and ever!
With love, Blue :)