At 39 years old, Dan Wigington knows a thing or two about perseverance.  He has been dealing with a brain tumor for a little over 15 years.  Making the most of his life, he has been blessed with a loving wife (Tashia) and a daughter (Luci, 5 years old) that adores him.

During our interview we learned that Dan is an outdoor guy – he grew up farming, playing in creeks, climbing trees, and hunting.  His love for the open-air lead to great Daddy-Daughter nature hunts. Dan and Luci have spent many days hiking through the backyard woods collecting acorns and leaves, and enjoying all that God has created.  To represent their time together, a decorative acorn will be selected and engraved with a special saying to remind Luci of those walks together.  A charm bracelet is also being created to symbolize other things Luci and Dan do together, like dining at Moe’s, playing with Play-Doh, their special Disney trip, and more.

Dan’s friends and family members are being asked to write a letter to Luci about times they have spent with Dan, so that she an get to know her Dad through the eyes of others.  A quilt is being made from clothing, including Dan’s Superman Cape from when he was little.  Thumb print charms have been created, as well as a bowl to represent Dan’s favorite Oatmeal Cookies.  And our favorite keepsake for this family, Dan collects knives, one of his knives will be made into a bracelet for Luci.

As Dan continues to fight for more time with his loved ones, we ask that you pray for the Lord to be with all of them.

Rebecca lives with her husband and two children (Dorothy & Elliot) in Fountain Inn, SC.  This adorable 36 year old mom has to be one of the most organized, pro-active, and energetic moms we have had the pleasure of serving.  Giving in to her breast cancer is not on Rebecca’s agenda, and still she knows the importance of being prepared for God’s timing.

Rebecca carefully chose projects for the future and great words of inspiration to go with each item.  Among the treasured keepsakes that we are helping Rebecca prepare are engraved key-chains (for when a driver’s license in obtained), graduation presents, wedding day gifts, and gifts for when her first grandchildren are born.  A book of envelopes, each labeled for a special occasion (birthdays, holidays, Prom, Driver’s License) or lesson/life tip (Marriage, Career, Faith and Religion) , will be created for each child.  Rebecca is busy writing letters to put in those envelopes.  We are also collecting letters from friends and family that will be written Dorothy and Elliot so that they can get to know their mom through the eyes of others.

Most of the items that we are preparing for Dorothy and Elliot have had a special Bible verse chosen by Rebecca inscribed on them.  During our first meeting, Rebecca said something that will stick with us and are words to plan by: “With each monumental phase in their lives, if I am not here when they wish I was…I want to show up”.  Rebecca is choosing projects that will ensure she is able to show up, one way or another.

Stephanie is a 37 year old mom to two sweet children, Chloe (5 1/2) and Jack (3 1/2) and wife of 14 years to Joel.  During our first interview on January 18, it became apparent very quickly that Stephanie is a woman of faith.  Her strength comes from her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; and after talking with her for just a short time, you realize her wisdom does too.

An accomplished marathon runner – she has entered and completed 18 marathons (all because a doctor old her she couldn’t do one .  As you can imagine, Stephanie uses her determination to get through everyday.  She loves to cook, and enjoys a hobby of beading jewelry.  Her friends, church family and Joel’s workplace have all been great sources of support for the family.

Stephanie is in need of a heart and liver transplant. Each day, as she waits for “that” phone call, she is determined to put things in place for her husband and children.  She has chosen some beautiful keepsakes including: thumb print charms, recipe collections, shadow boxes displaying a couple of her marathons, Thanksgiving Platters, Bibles for the children, family photos, and letters that she has written to her children for their future birthdays, specials occasions, and life’s lessons.  Special books were made for each child to hold these letters – they are books of envelopes where Stephanie can seal her letter in the appropriate envelope (they are labeled  with each occasion, for example: “For Your 16th Birthday”).

Please pray that a donor is soon found and that Stephanie’s body then accepts the organs.  Pray for the doctors that will be doing her procedure and for the staff that will then care for Stephanie.  She has a long road ahead of her, but one she is eager to get started traveling down.

Kelly was a 42 year old mom, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend.  Kelly was the first mom we started serving in 2012.  Before her application arrived, we felt like we already knew her, as so many of her friends had contacted LTBM about Kelly.  Obviously very loved and admired, this vibrant mom to two young boys (6 and 7)  was in a fight for her life.

Scrapbooks, letters from friends and family, and thumb print charms are some of the popular legacy items Kelly selected.  She also has chosen a shadowbox project for one son to house a favorite Lego project that the two of them created together and a book for her other son, to mark one of his favorite times with her, when she volunteered in his class by reading that very book.  Bibles were purchased for the boys, as Kelly’s biggest hope was that they remain close to God throughout their lives.  And finally, to mark a special bedtime routine of a “30 second hug”  custom hour glasses (30 second run times) are being made using sand from a beach where the family vacations, along with”hugging pillows” made from family clothing and photographs, perfect for continued hugging throughout the entire night.

Kelly took her first breath in the presence of her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, January 31.  Please continue to pray for her family and friends.

Christine (aka “Chrissy”) took up a quick place in our hearts as she tearfully thought about the future times she would be missing with her three children.  At the age of 40, this mom was nearing the end of her fight with ovarian cancer when we first met with her on October 25, 2011.  Chrissy wanted to use all of the time she felt she had left creating memories and preserving her legacy of her two daughters and one son.  The children loved when their mom made chocolate chip cookies, so cookie jars were made using their hand prints.

Recordable books were provided to Chrissy so that she could read stories to the children, a pass-time that they enjoy doing together.  The children were all given a locket so that they could keep a picture of their mom nearby. Gifts for the future were purchased, including blue earrings and cuff-links for their wedding days, and the Dr Seuss Book(“Oh the Places You’ll Go for graduation gifts (chosen because Dr Seuss books are a favorite of all of theirs).

Chrissy’s battle with cancer ended on November 16, 2011.

We had the honor of serving Jeff during the late Spring and early Summer of 2011. At 47, Jeff was battling Lymphoma of the CNS.  He had been married to his wife Gail for 23 years and was a dad to two children; his son, Jeffery (19) and his daughter, Virginia (15).

At our first meeting his spirits were high.  We laughed and cried as he entertained us with stories about his life, his children, and his faith.  It was one of the first times that a teenager sat in on the interview – typically it is thought that the parent(s) may speak more openly without younger ears around, for this dad, that was not the case.  The connection between father and daughter was remarkable.  Jeff recounted moments that he treasured with his children as his daughter lay bedside listening to her dad speak of how proud he was of her.  Truly an amazing moment to bare witness to.

Because Jeff shared such great details with us, we were able to make several unique treasures for the family.Gifts for the future, a video recording, and thumb print charms are a few of the items that were created. He told us a story about a time that his daughter had written something on her bathroom mirror, this led to an unforgettable conversation between the two of them – to help Virginia hold on to that moment we had a mirror etched with the same phrase and Bible verse that she had written on her mirror.

Both of Jeff’s children are musically gifted.  His son had written a song about Jeff’s struggle.  As Jeff played it for us, he beamed with pride.  Jeff wished that his son could have the chance to record it professionally, so as a surprise to him, Jeffery and Virginia went to a local studio and did just that.

Jeff shared his belief in the Lord with us.  When asked about his most treasured possession…he answered “his salvation”.  Jeff went home to be with the Lord on June 30, 2011.

Billy was 40 when we met him in January 2011.  With is wife Haidee by his side and their 7 year old son Lawson, Billy battled with Melanoma for many months.

During our meeting, we learned that Billy loved being a dad…when he came home from work in the construction supply industry he went straight to building Legos and coloring with Lawson.  One of our favorite projects ever was made for Lawson – a picture that he and his dad colored together, complete with a frame made from Legos was preserved in a shadow box.  We were also able to have one of Billy’s hammers engraved fro Lawson and had a wooden plaques created fr the Hammer to hang on.  A tool belt was embroidered with a special message to Lawson as well.  A book of pictures, thumb print charm and quilt from billy’s clothing was also made for Lawson.

On March 2, 2011, Billy was freed from his cancer ridden body.

Affectionately known in our office as “Butterfly”.  Karen was 40 year old wife and mother with breast cancer. She was a mom to three boys.

Karen had us create some great projects for her boys, each signifying something she felt was very important – there are gifts for the future marking significant events that Karen had hoped to witness in person, such as high school graduation, wedding, and births of first children.  These keepsakes will remain in special boxes that were created just for the boys and inscribed with a clever saying from Karen.  Each of the boys also received a decorative pillow that they can put out during Karen’s favorite holiday, Halloween – the pillows were made using materials from the families past Halloween costumes. The boys also have thumb print charms and will be receiving keepsake books of letters written to them from Karen’s friends and family.

Though she was a tough opponent, her breast cancer eventually won out on September 2, 2011.

Nicole is a 28 year old wife and mother who is battling AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia).  Her son is just 18 months old.

At our first meeting on September 9, 2011, Nicole’s youthful spirit was evident; possessing something that people are drawn to.  She is absolutely adorable and you can’t help but smile.

With her mom by her side, we were able to find some traditions that were caring over from her childhood into her own family.  Perhaps one of the funniest is the mac and cheese casserole, and the piece that seems to go missing at each holiday gathering.  The family isn’t  always sure if it has been eaten or hidden, but they say it will most certainly disappear.  To mark this very special family “quirk”, Nicole and her son will be painting a casserole dish, using their fingers to make macaroni noodles in the bottom (and of-course, one corner will not be painted to signify the missing piece).

We have also captured impressions of Nicole’s thumb prints for charms.  Family pictures will be taken, scrapbooks will be made, and tree skirts will be created from family clothing.

It is an honor to be serving Nicole – we look forward to continuing to work with her, and pray that she is granted the miracle that could be waiting for her.

We met Shannon in October of 2011 at his home.  With his wife Julie by his side, this 47 year old Dad of two told us many of his favorite things: softball, golf, watching baseball with his son, yellow roses, Christmas, bar-b-Que chicken and Charleston.  And as you can probably imagine, his wife and two children, Claire and Nicholas top that list.

Together, Shannon and Julie, decided on the perfect projects for their children.  We will have Christmas Tree skirts fashioned from Shannon’s clothing for each of the children, gifts for their wedding day, a book of letters from friends and family, thumb print charms, a charm bracelet for Claire, a wooden box for keepsakes for Nicholas, and two unique pieces created to represent Shannon’s love of watching baseball with his son and the gift of a yellow rose for his daughter.

Shannon went to be with his Father in Heaven on Tuesday, November 8, 2011.  He will be missed by his family and friends, who despite thier grieving, will celebrate the fact the Shannon is free from the pain scleroderma brought to his body.