Beads of Courage

The hospital has a program set up for seriously ill children called "Beads of Courage". The program helps children create their own record of their treatment. For each step of Jackson's treatment he earns a bead. Each bead symbolizes something that Jackson has had to endure, and each bead is something that makes me so proud of my boy.

Jackson has already earned an entire necklace worth of beads. It hangs proudly on his IV pole. He shows it to his visitors, and although they don't understand all of the steps he has been through, they can sense the significance of these beads.

Jackson earns beads for each Chemo drug he gets, each dressing change on his broviac line, each day he is in the hospital. He earns them for each test and scan, each visit to the clinic, each IV, each surgery. He has earned them for a spinal tap, MRI, CT Scan, morphine infusion, a stay in the PICU, and even for surgeries. He will continue to earn beads through out his treatment.

You can go to the Beads of Courage website and learn more about this amazing program. This program is amazing, and often when I think about it tears come to my eyes.

Tomorrow he will earn more beads, and they will hang on his IV pole as a sign of strength and courage. If you ever see Jackson, make sure to ask him about his beads- each time someone does he lights up- even on the tough days.