Amanda                                                       
                             October 28, 1979 - August 30, 2007 
We first met Amanda on Friday, August 10, 2007.  She is a 27 year old mother, wife   and daughter who is battling recurrent cervical cancer.  She is married to Randy and together they share 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 solid 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.

There are a couple more pieces to the legacy that Amanda has chosen to leave behind.  Each is as meaningful as the next.  Amanda has a loving family by her side that has been 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 is special to so many people.  Let There Be Mom is proud to have her as our first mom.  Please keep your prayers with Amanda and her 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...

                                           Lisa

Lisa's battle with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma has been ongoing for the past two and a half years.  She finds her strength and desire to beat her illness 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 has taken a very active role in preserving her memories, hopes, and dreams. 

She and her daughters have painted tea sets together in honor of the times they have enjoyed "playing tea", volunteers are in the middle of creating a "garden of reflection" for the family, and a few amazing items have been created from scrap fabric that Lisa had left from clothes she had sew for her children.  These are just a few of the projects that are going on for Lisa.

 
                                                                          Maureen

Maureen has an incredible passion for putting her legacy in place.  She is a 40 year old mom with a 12 year old daughter.  Maureen has been fighting bone cancer for 8 years.  We started helping her on January 15th. 

On January 22, eight volunteers put together a scrapbook showcasing Maureen's life.  Paradise Jewelers has 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 is very moving.  She has become a great inspiration.