Amanda Moon
October 28, 1979 - August 30, 2007
We first met Amanda on Friday, August 10, 2007. She was a 27 year old mother, wife, and daughter who was battling recurrent cervical cancer. She was married to Randy and together they shared a precious 3 year old daughter named Madison. Amanda shared special stories about her life, which led to discovering a few very fitting ways to preserve her legacy for Madison.
Known 
for her beautifully decorated cakes, Amanda chose to paint a cake platter with Madison. Each placed their painted hand on the platter that was brought to their home by a pottery studio. Daddy and Grandma (Janet) also joined in on the fun, as together the four of them, created dessert plates. While there, a special clay was used to take an impression of Amanda's thumb print. This casting turns to pure silver when heated, making a perfect charm that will be given to Madison with a special note from her Mommy at a later time. A photographer was at the home to capture the entire event. The emotions that were recorded in those pictures will forever remind Madison of her mother's love.
On Friday, August 17th, 22 volunteers got together to compile a scrapbook of Amanda's life. Within 5 hours all of the pages (which ended up being 104) were complete, filling two books. It was an amazing job done by amazing people.
Amanda chose additional items for her legacy that LTBM completed and delivered to the family. Amanda's loving family was instrumental in pulling pictures together, setting up the "painting area", and encouraging Amanda to make record of her hopes and dreams, so that Madison will always have something to embrace.
Amanda was special to so many people. Let There Be Mom is proud to have her as our "first mom". Please keep your prayers with Amanda's family. Amanda went to be with the Lord on Thursday, August 30, 2007.
You can view the pictures taken by Suzanne Goodwin (the photographer mentioned above) at www.capturedshots.photoreflect.com (click on Amanda)
Gifts have been made to Let There Be Mom, in memory of Amanda from the following...
April Gresham
April 14, 1967 - March 7, 2010
During the time that we served April, she found a special place in each of our hearts. We thank her for inspiring all of us and for allowing us to be a part of her life.
Brian NikolichJuly 27, 1973 - June 19, 2009
Jameela, Brian's wife, contacted LTBM in February. She knew of the help we were providing another family with ALS and asked that we help her and Brian to create memories for their children. At 35 y
ears old, Brian was tackling ALS for the 3rd year. Together, Brian and Jameela, have 2 adorable children, ages 5 and 7.In our first visit with Brian, we learned that he loved cooking, writing, crossword puzzles, suduko, fishing, playing the trumpet, watching football, Christmas, reading, a variety of music, VT (just to name a few things) but mostly, he loved his family. In order to capture all of Brian's great interests, it was decided that we would create a book. Some of his favorite things will be photographed and Brian will write something about each - they will then be printed and bound into a "coffee table" style book.
Brian also chose to have letters written to his children from friends and family, these too will be bound in a book. To allow his children "cuddle time with Dad" quilts are being made using Brian's Christmas robe and some of his other clothing. The Nikolich family was photographed by getzcreative (see the pictures). At the same time that charms were made of Brian's thumb prints, he was able to enjoy a day of painting pottery with the children.
It was an honor to service the Nikolich family; our hope is that all of these keepsakes will help Jameela and their two precious children to always know how much Brian loved them.
Read Brian's Caring Bridge Site
Brian Parrott
November 9, 1969 - May 23, 2008
Megan contacted LTBM in early May of 2008 asking if we served Dads, begging us to help her with her husband's legacy. After a long battle with brain cancer, Brian had
been given two weeks to live eight weeks prior to her phone call to us. Although not part of LTBM mission at the time, our duty seemed so clear. We met with Megan and Brian and discussed what he wanted his legacy to look like. As one might expect, Megan really helped us to learn about Brian, his talents, hobbies and his passion for his family. Brian was an big guy, it was easy to see that not long ago he had enjoyed lifting all the weights that filled their dining room. We learned about the precious times Brian shared with his, then, 5 year old daughter and 9 year old son. Brian chose to have his thumb prints made into charms for his children, to create a vase with his daughter Erin showcasing her hands intertwined with his, to leave a charm bracelet for Erin telling the story of his life, to have a casting made of his hand for his son Colton who always enjoyed measuring his hand against his Dad's, to have one of his weights engraved for Colton, and to have quilts made using his clothing. At the age of 38 Brian lost his 3 year battle with brain cancer. In his honor of their children and in loving memory of Brian, Megan started Parrott's Pals, a peer support group for children coping with a loved one's life threatening illness or death. Our experience with Brian, led to the change in our mission. Thank you, Brian and Megan, for inviting us to help you, it was on honor.
Dale McDaris
July 19, 1960 - October 8, 2009
Dale's wife Whitney contacted us on October 6, 2009, to tell us about her husband, her friend, and the father of her children. She told us about Dale's recent diagnosis of stage 3 brain cancer. She and Dale were focused on his recovery and on God's ability to grant miracles. However, on Sunday, October 4, the doctors gave Dale no more than 3 weeks to live. Afraid that he might not have even that much time, Whitney expressed the urgency of their situation.
Dale enjoyed teaching his 4 year old son, Grayson, about golf. They spent most of their time together on a course, at the driving range, or watching golf tournaments. To celebrate those moments a shadow box will be made with some of Dale's favorite golf items. Their daughter, Tinsley, is just 2 years old ; she too will have a special shadow box made, it will hold a photograph of their hands, a charm bracelet telling the story of her Daddy's life (she will be able to remove it and wear it when she is older), a necklace with her Daddy's thumb print, and the scripture that he read at her dedication.
Some of Dale's other favorites and the way they will be honored include: tree skirts and throws made from some of his clothing to recognize his love of Christmas, stepping stones with the impression of his shoes for his joy of working in the yard, and letters from friends and family so that his children can appreciate their Daddy through the eyes of others.
Please join us in praying for God's arms to comfort the McDaris family.
Gail, truly a Godly woman. On the first day we met with Gail, there was no hiding her love for the Lord, her husband (Mardy), & their four adopted boys. Gail was first diagnosed with breast cancer in June of 2007 - she fought hard for two and a half years. We were given just 4 weeks to work with Gail, as she passed away at the age of 48 just days after New Year's.
Gail was a mom with many talents including painting, drawing, cross-stitching, cooking, & memory keeping. She also was able to share information with us about her favorite things in life, including times spent with her boys, foods, colors, music, moments around the house, and holidays. We decided to create a coffee table style book that would showcase many of Gail's treasured times and gifts. Stephen Stinson, a local photographer, went to the Bryant home and took photographs of items and of Gail's children for us to use in the book.
We were able to get impressions of Gail's thumb prints, which will be displayed in a case along with Gail's favorite Bible verse, Psalms 91. To commemorate her deep faith, the boys will be given Bibles with dedication pages that contain a thoughtful message from their mom. In addition, quilts have been made out of Gail's clothing so that her young boys can continue to cuddle with their mom.
Holli Jenkins
At just 39 years old Holli has been fighting with breast cancer for nearly six years. Having beaten it once, it returned again in 2008. Holli has a seven year old son who helps to fill her days with his big smile and cuddle time.
Holli has a way about her that makes this world a better place. Though she is currently unable to drive and her outings are very limited, she spends time volunteering for local schools, she says, "Whatever they can bring to my house to do, I will do it". In addition to impressing us with her willingness to serve others, Holli's desire to preserve her legacy for her son is inspiring.
Some of the ways in which Let There Be Mom is helping Holli to capture her life's journey include making a quilt of her t-shirts (from breast cancer walks, of-course), creating thumb print charms, providing stepping stone kits to mark her love of the outdoors, giving a voice recorder so that she can record some conversation time with her son, a photographer went to her home to capture Holli's most treasured time with her family (weekend morning snuggle time), recipes have been typed up by volunteers to have bound in a book, and Holli's favorite quotes have also been compiled. These quotes will fill a piece of pottery that Holli herself created when she was in college - the pottery will be set on a wooden stand with a plaque marking it as "Inspiring Words from Mom".
As we continue to serve Holli, please pray that God will bless her with healing.
Lisa Roberts
August 6, 1967 - July 4, 2008
Lisa's battle with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma ended on July 4. She courageously fought her illness for three years. Her strength and desire to beat her illness was found in the eyes of her three beautiful, and talented, children.
We began working with Lisa in October of 2007. A friend told Lisa about Let There Be Mom through an entry on her Caring Bridge Site; Lisa then contacted us via email. Although, Lisa approached us with caution, she took a very active role in preserving her memories, hopes, and dreams.
She and her daughters painted tea sets together in honor of the times they enjoyed "playing tea", Arbor Engineering & LTBM volunteers created a "garden of reflection" for the family, table runners were made for her girls and a pillow for her son from scrap fabric that Lisa had left from clothes she had sewn for her children, scrapbooks of Lisa's life were made for each child, as well as a thumb print charm. .
We had to opportunity to work with Lisa's children and help them to create gifts for her that truly brightened her days. Kacy Mehlem Photography graciously volunteered their time and service and took pictures of the children which we used to create a blanket and special message pouches for Lisa. The children filled their individual pouches with notes of encouragement for their mom. Lisa took these with her when she went away for treatments.
Lisa will be missed deeply by our organization and all of those who knew her.
Maureen Viscuso
April 27, 1967 - September 6, 2008
Maureen had an incredible passion for putting her legacy in place. She was a 40 year old mom with a 12 year old daughter. Maureen fought bone cancer for over 8 years. We started helping her on January 15th.
On January 22, eight volunteers put together a scrapbook showcasing Maureen's life. Paradise Jewelers stepped in, to help with portions of Maureen's legacy. They have donated items, and provided others at cost, that will allow her to "recognize and celebrate" special moments that are still to come in her daughter's life. To help Maureen step into those special moments, age progression art was used to enhance current photographs of her daughter (a glimpse into the eyes of a high school graduate and a 26 year old woman). And finally, a quilt was made featuring photos and materials from Maureen's and her daughter's clothing.
Maureen's great drive to make sure that her daughter always has tangible evidence of her love was very moving. She became a great inspiration to all who had the opportunity to meet her.
Michael Russell
Michael is a 39 year old dad who has just entered his 3rd year of living with ALS. We met with Michael and his wife, Lea Anne, in November and began plotting out a course of action. Since they had not had a family picture made in quite some time, we arranged for them to be photographed (left is one of the shots from that photo session - see more).
It is important to Michael to leave cards and gifts for his girls for significant events that will occur in their life time. Michael chose really unique gifts that will be left for his daughters, in an effort to maintain the surprise for the girls we have chosen to not to list all of the items.
Lea Anne and Michael believe it is important for the girls to have photographs of their dad to hold, so scrapbooks will be made for each of their girls, as well as letters compiled from friends and family to tell of special times they shared with Michael. The family visited The Glazing Pot to paint serving bowls. These bowls will have a potato soup recipe painted on the inside. The recipe has been passed down through generations of men in Michael's family.
Monica Pryor
October 3, 1970 - October 27, 2008
Monica was a 37 year old mom of 3 adorable children. She was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in April of 2007. Let There Be Mom was presented to Monica by various friends, on more than one occasion. It was September of 2007 when she decided to contact us.
She recorded her musical works at OMG Studios in early December. Her music was combined with photographs to create a memory showcase for her family. LTBM was able to provide Monica with a video camera so that she can capture great moments with her children and record the video messages that she desires to do. In November, we planned the celebration for Monica's and John's, youngest child's first birthday party.
Monica also chose to do thumb print charms for her children and create books for each child that included special pictures and letters from friends and family. It was an honor to know her and to see her faith.
Visit Monica's Caring Bridge Site.
Robert Kelsey
April 17, 1963 - May 3, 2009
Robert passed away at the age of 46, he was a Dad and Husband. He and his wife, Lisa, contacted LTBM in early February and told us about Robert's very rare form of non-smoker's lung cancer. In July of 2008, at the age of 45, he was diagnosed with a bloo
d clot in his leg, several weeks later he was told he had cancer, over the next month the doctors would learn that it was very aggressive and not responding to treatments - Robert was only one of two documented patients with this particular cancer.
As they prayed for a miracle, Lisa and Robert focused on preserving Robert's legacy so that their daughters would never forget the great man that Robert was. The Kelsey family was photographed with the goal of capturing Robert's sense of humor and his love for the three most important girls in his life. (see pictures) Bracelets were made for his daughters that showcase photographs of models that Robert built and pictures taken at the family's photo session, as well as traditional charms. Impressions of Robert's thumb print were made into charms and put on necklaces for Lisa and the girls. A DVD was made using pictures that were set to songs chosen by Robert and Lisa, and cookbooks preserve Robert's favorite recipes. (see video)
This family has an amazing gift in their humor. In addition to the many sweet/compassionate items listed above, they wanted to create something fun for the girls to remember Robert's silly side...enter "The Burping Platter". The family went to The Glazing Pot and painted serving platters together. The word "burp" was written in a variety of languages, and caricatures of their faces were drawn. Small recording devises were given to the family to begin the difficult task of capturing their burps, they were then attached discretely to the underside of the platters. It is different, it's fun and most importantly, it brings a smile to the faces of The Kelsey Family.
We enjoyed our time with Robert and feel privileged to have served him.
Clinton, Robyn's husband, emailed to find out about the services of Let There Be Mom on April 18, 2010. Soon after our conversation he shared LTBM with Robyn and together they decided to submit an application for services for Robyn.
At just 37 years old, Robyn was nearing the end of her battle with Breast Cancer, and she was determined to preserve her love for her girls. On Saturday, May 8, 2010, we had the pleasure of spending the day with the Shaffer Family. Soup bowls were painted, thumb print impression were taken, clothes for quilts were gathered, gifts for the future were picked out, charms representing Robyn's life were chosen, pictures for scrapbooks were collected, and creek stones were retrieved. Robyn had a Chicken Soup Recipe that needed to be preserved (it was given to her by her own mother); so the soup bowls that her two daughters (ages 3 & 7) painted also have the thumb prints of the whole family which will be made into chickens. The creek stones were pulled from the creek that Robyn and her girls could often be found playing in. These stones have been drilled and pendants for necklaces are being made.
Our time spent serving Robyn was an incredible experience. As none of us know our time, we did not know that the very next day (Mother's Day), Robyn would be taken to the hospital where she would spend the last couple days of her life. The Lord welcomed Robyn home on Tuesday morning, May 11, 2010. In the short time we spent with her and her family, she changed our lives forever. Thank you, Robyn.
Scott Simmons
October 19, 1966 - December 16, 2008
Scott and Teri have been married for 20 years. On April 1, 2008, Scott was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. At 42 years old (now 43), this energetic dad of 2, was given this overwhelming news.
LTBM's story with Teri and Scott began on November 25, 2008, as we sat with Terri, her mom, dad, and Scott and learned about Scott's very full life. He had more life interests than many can dream of. His long list of pastimes gave us many unique elements to be use in setting up his legacy.Prior to LTBM's involvement, Scott already started letters to his family. He asked that we help him complete these by giving him a glimpse into the future using our age progression artists. Scott asked to have the ability to record his messages, as writing is becoming increasingly difficult, to do this he was given a digital voice recorder. In addition to his words, Scott and Teri chose to create a charm bracelet displaying the many interests in Scott's life for their 7 year old daughter and a shadow box showcasing some of Scott's same passions for their 11 year old son.
Pictures are very important to Scott and Teri, getzcreative to photographed their family on Thanksgiving weekend. (see the pictures) A photo DVD was made so that all who loved Scott can take a trip down memory land and those who had not been blessed with him in their lives can get to know him a little. Gifts for the future were also bought for their children.
It was an honor to serve Scott & Terri.
Just 2 months prior to his 37th birthday, Shaw's colon cancer had been labeled "terminal". Shaw's wife, Jinny, knew it would be important to capture tangible memories for their eight year old son, Austin. On February 3, 2010, we had our first meeting with the Wylie family.
During our 2 hour visit we learned that Shaw had a goal of reading his Bible cover to cover, and he was making
serious progress. He took notes along his "Bible Reading Journey" and those will truly be a precious keepsake to pass from generation to generation.Shaw was quite a cook and had a few special recipes that he created. His favorite (and Austin's, too) was his spaghetti sauce. To preserve this for Austin it will embroidered on an apron in purple (Shaw's favorite color). A shadow box will be made for Austin to hold some of the items most treasured and representative of Shaw including: his Grandfather's Bible, a saxophone, a Christmas Village piece, his Baptismal handkerchief, Trivial Pursuit cards, a page from his "word Search Book", and more. And finally, impressions of Shaw's thumb prints were made into charms, a book of letters from friends and family will be preserved, and a quilt will be made from Shaw's clothing for Austin.
Our time with Shaw was so short as he declined very quickly. We are looking foward to working with Jinny to complete the projects Shaw had decided upon. Please keep the Wylie family in your prayers.
Thank you to all of those who donated their time, goods, and funds to benefit the Families of Let There Be Mom.
Amazing Volunteers
Amy Adele
Arbor Engineering - Graham Kimak
Bennetts' Frame & Art Gallery
Bi-Lo Grocery Store - Bakery, Woodruff Road Simpsonville
Creative Chaos
Duck Duck Goose
The Glazing Pot
getzcreative
InsideOut at Home
Kacy Mehlem
Lichtenfelt Nurseries Inc
OMG Studios
Paradise Jewelers
Pizza Inn
Pump It Up
Romano's Macaroni Grill
The Scrapbook Supply Store
Strossner's Bakery
Suzanne Goodwin, photographer
Wal-Mart Transportation Laurens Division
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