Cherie's Progress

Cherie (right) and Me sitting on the front porch of her family's cottage on Martha's Vineyard, 1982

Tomorrow is Ground Hog Day. It is also Cherie's 44th Birthday. That means that she and I have been friends for 37 years. Ever since middle school I have called her Hoggatha, on her birthday.

For all of you who have followed along with Cherie's progress on this blog, who have made and sent her art and cards and notes when she was in ICU and at Shepherd Center for Spinal Cord Rehab... I'd love for you to reach out to her once again and send her a birthday email. Yes, that's right, I said email!! Thanks to Dragon software, Cherie now can read and reply to email and Facebook via speech recognition. Email is best because Facebook requires some mouse clicking, which she can't quite do... yet.

Can you take a minute to send her a Happy Birthday email?
cas2268@msn.com

Cherie (right) and I taking a break from touring, Spain, 1985

For those of you who might be new to Cherie's story, the quick synopsis is that she was in a car accident on September 30, 2010 in which she broke her neck and became a quadriplegic. I have been asking artists and folks with big hearts to send her well wishes ever since her accident. www.CherieStannard.com

Cherie has been touched beyond words by the generosity of strangers from far and wide. She has been touched by all the artists who contributed to my fund raising book for her, Art With Heart

Cherie (left) and I on that very same cottage front porch the summer after we graduated high school together, 1987

We have been through thick and thin together, We HAVE BEEN thick and thin together. Do you see us both getting BIGGER and BIGGER in these photos? Well, Cherie was always small, but me...

Cherie (left) and I on that very same cottage front porch, Memorial Day 1988

It has meant a lot to Cherie to have such an influx of kind words from friends of this blog. It has meant a lot to me too. I hope if you have a minute you might send some birthday wishes to Hoggatha. Tell her I sent you. :)

cas2268@msn.com

Cherie's Book

sample book page ©St.Hilaire Nelson

The book is coming along great! I'm extending the deadline for submissions to December 8, Wednesday. To be included in this book, with all funds going to the family, this is what you need to submit

high resolution photo of your artwork (image 5-8MB)
medium and dimensions 
your city and state
your contact information
a blurb of text (optional)

Please email me by Friday! The book will be available on blurb.com and all proceeds will go to Cherie's family. For anyone new to this conversation, Cherie is a 42-year old woman who was paralyzed in an auto accident on September 30. She has no insurance and her brother and sister have committed to her care and safe keeping. They have to modify her sister's home to accommodate a wheelchair and other adaptive equipment. Cherie is paralyzed from the shoulders down. Please help this family in need by sharing a photo of your artwork and buying a copy of the book.

Now, any suggestions for a title? My working title is Art with Heart.

Thanks for the Small Things

Cherie on a boat somewhere exotic!

Today I just want to post this email that I received from Cherie's sister last night. I wanted to remind myself and all of you, how thankful we should be every day for the little things in life we take for granted.

Happy Thanksgiving. Cherie is getting settled in to Shepherd Center.  She has done well her first couple of days although she had been on the vent since she arrived mainly because of some secretions due to the transport and the need for the staff at Shepherd to do their own assessment of her.  She was up in her tailor made wheel chair today for a few hours and she said it was very comfortable.  They also started her on solid food and drink today!!!  She has not had nearly as many food requests as drink requests but this is very exciting!  We all shared chocolate cake tonight.  Tomorrow they will be moving her out of ICU and she will be able to get in her chair and tour around the halls a bit.  Rich and I are getting acclimated to our new surroundings as well.  We did take one of the family care lectures this morning.  It was good to get a chance to talk with a couple of the other families here.    The mailing address is the same as I had given in an earlier email: Cherie Stannard C/O Shepherd Center 2020 Peachtree Rd NW Atlanta, GA 30309 Love, Sue

Cherie's Progress

Cherie visits me at college, 1986

I visited Cherie today and I'm happy to say that when I got in the room I HEARD her say "Oh, Hi!" Actually with her own voice. She has been doing 2+ hours at a time off the ventilator lately, with a speech collar in place so that she can use her voice and be heard. She asked the nurse's to set her up so that when I got there, she could talk.

I nearly cried, I have not heard her say anything since September, and to actually be able to talk back and forth with her was wonderful.

One of the things she told me in about an hour of speaking was "I am getting so many nice cards, EVERY single day. I want so badly to tell you something to write on your blog, to thank people." She was too tired to dictate today, but I told her next week we will see how she feels. Stay tuned for that!

She told me a story of a a card she received from a woman who told her she had bought it years and years ago and saved it, she loved it so much. This week, she sent it to Cherie. Thank you all so much for your kindness and generosity.

She told me that yesterday she called her brother Rich, and actually told him on the phone, "Happy Birthday" He cried. Wouldn't you?

Rich lives in Colorado and since the accident has made two trips back and forth to Florida. Since Cherie's father died, Rich has tried to be her protector in this ordeal. He has quite a heavy burden on his heart and mind.

Cherie's Progress

I visited Cherie on Wednesday, as I do every week. I'm happy to say that she has art cards taped to her walls and had a great big smile on her face when she mouthed (she cannot speak due to the tracheotomy and the ventilator) "I am getting TONS of great cards, THANK YOU!" We had a great visit. I'm happy to report that she was in good spirits and looked much better than last week. She was smiling and "talking" to me for about an hour.

What more could you ask for? One card of note that was pinned up was my dear friend Robin Maria Pedrero's work in pastel. Many thanks to all of you who have taken the time to send a Random Card of Kindness to Cherie, you are making her smile!

They have gotten her up into a wheelchair a couple of times and she's been able to sit and be disconnected from the ventilator for a few hours at a time. Shepherd Center in Atlanta has accepted her for rehabilitation after evaluating her in person last week. Now we just need to get a Medicaid approval for an extension of benefits (they limit the time in to 45 days, Cherie's accident was September 30 and she has been in ICU since) as well as an approval for FL state benefits to extend to GA. Shepherd Center is on of the best spinal cord rehabilitation facilities in the country. They will teach her how to adapt to her limitations with specialized equipment.

Please keep Cherie in your thoughts and keep the cards and notes coming!

Cherie's Progress

Cherie Stannard

I just wanted to update you and say thanks again for the outpouring of cards, letters, artwork, and hand made books that have come from my "art peeps" to Cherie's ICU room at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in Fort Pearce, FL.

I visited Cherie again this past Wednesday and she told me that the notes and cards have really made a difference in brightening her day. Her Aunt Barbara is putting the return address of all on the back of what has been sent. Cherie wants to send a note to everyone and thank them for their thoughtfulness.

I think she has a lot of note writing ahead of her!

Many thanks again for keeping her in your thoughts. Please email me for the address if you wish to send a card, she is still in ICU and on a ventilator with a C5 spinal cord injury. She can feel being poked in two toes on one foot, which is great, but she still has no movement from her shoulders down. Her next step is to a rehabilitation facility (potentially in Tampa, FL) but she has to get off the ventilator and breathe on her own before she can make that next step.

Your kind words and thoughts mean so much in this very difficult time. I thank you from the bottom of my heart

Amelia Island Workshop and Card Campaign

First let me start by saying a great big THANK YOU to all of you who have emailed me for Cherie's mailing address and offered to send hand made cards and notes to my childhood friend. The latest on Cherie is that she will have a tracheotomy and a G-tube surgery on Sunday. Keep her in your thoughts and know that she has been moved into her own private ICU hospital room. This means she now has a window and a WALL for hanging photos and cards and art on.

The card shown here was sent by Jason McCollum of North Carolina. Thank you Jason! I'll be visiting Cherie in the coming week and will let you all know how her room is and how many cards she has received.

I am in Amelia Island, FL this weekend teaching collage to nine wonderful students! Today we spent the day painting papers and preparing them for collage, which we will start bright and early tomorrow morning! The weather is beautiful and the students are very motivated. Pat even invited me for dinner at her beautiful home this evening, which was a wonderful time. Thank you Pat and Jack!