Team Lucky Duck

This post might be a little long so if you are short on time skip to the bottom!

My mother and I had a lot of things in common. We both loved yard sales, loved sewing, and hated going to the doctor. In fact, the only reason my mother went to the doctor in 1978 was she got the sneaking suspicion that instead of going through menopause, she was pregnant with a surprise baby. The baby was me. My mother went to the doctor and immediately he was more interested in a big bump on her arm then the bump on her belly. It was cancer- melanoma.

My mother made it through the pregnancy and was barely able to care for me for part of my infancy. My 2 sisters (the Lord had the foresight to give me 2 sisters who were 12 and 14 when I was born) and an aunt helped out. The Lord also had the foresight to give her an angelic sweet little baby...you know, ME! Through this time my mother's prayer was this: Please let me live to see this baby grow up. And she did. She beat melanoma and lived through my childhood. Like clockwork, less than a month after I moved away to college, cancer struck again...this time a totally different type. She was given less than a few days to live by the time it was discovered. I remembered that her prayers were answered so I prayed some of my own for more time. She lived 14 months. I remember one doctor saying no one had ever lived that long with that type of cancer that far advanced. God had answered prayers again and we got to say all the things we wanted to say and savor some more time with her.

Colleen is the one in the bandana

In honor of my mom, an excellent seamstress, I am going to participate by making a block for one of the sweet friends I have met doing this blog. Colleen has been cured of stage 4 uterine cancer for 5 years.  Grateful for her survival, she founded Team Lucky Duck.  This year she wants to create a star quilt to raffle off for Relay for Life.  If you have been affected by cancer, you can help!!  What can you do?

1) Make a quilt block!
The quilt block can be a memorial, in honor of, or just a celebration of life. She would like any 12.5" unfinished star blocks.  Applique, embroidery, words, and embellishments are welcome.  Cancer survivors are STARS and they should SHINE!  Here is a pattern for her favorite basic star block.  Or you could send a 5" square to use in the border with a message of hope written on it. 

Colleen would like you to use bright, fun colors.  If you want to coordinate your colors with a certain cancer here is the link to what color goes with what cancer This should not be just a pink quilt. This is a quilt to honor all cancers. 

Blocks are due March 31, 2011.

Send blocks to:

Colleen Yarnell

570 Cedarbook Ct

Lewisville, NC  27023

2) Consider donating funds.
Donate to Team Lucky Duck's goals to raise money for Relay for Life Click HERE!   


3)Pray
Pray for the success of Colleen's team and pray for someone you know who is fighting cancer.  Unfortunately we probably all know someone battling cancer at any given moment. Prayer works and it's free...no matter your circumstance you can do this.

If you need any more information or if you want to contact Colleen, all the information you need is at this post on her blog Team Lucky Duck Dreams