2 Brothers with Hemophilia

My Bead of Courage Boy

I absolutely love the Beads of Courage program.  My son Caeleb "aka Christian" has participated in the program for the past few years at the University of New Mexico Children's Hospital.  He was selected as the 2015 Honored Bead Member for New Mexico!  This past weekend locations across the country were holding events to make beads and honor children.  Family and friends could watch the glassblowers make beads, children could pick up their "Dream Bead" that they requested before the event….it was fantastic.

Caeleb requested a "Sonic the Hedgehog" bead because "he is fast, mom."

The artists at High Desert Flameworks are just amazing.  They are doing wonderful work for our children with chronic illnesses.

When you struggle with illness and are in and out of the hospital as much as our chronic kids are, sometimes it's the little things that make a big difference during a hospital stay.  Caeleb would often be in tremendous pain or want to go home so badly but we had days left before we could leave.  His strands of beads signified his strength and courage.  We would hang his beads on his IV pole and they were always a talking point when someone would enter his room.

Thank you, Beads of Courage.  Your program made my son's journey a tangible beautiful process despite the circumstances.