Senbazuru

Farewell, Kayla Marie

2008-05-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

Kayla Marie St. Cyr - August 7, 1990 - May 2, 2008

Kayla's aunt Susan delivered the cranes to her hospital room mid April.

On May 2, at 4:40 in the afternoon, surrounded by those who loved her best, Kayla Marie St. Cyr was gathered up by the angels and taken to her eternal reward.

Kayla is at peace, but please, I ask that you pray for her family and all those who love her.

Please join me in lighting a candle for Kayla. Click on the candle below to get started.

Folding for Kayla

2008-04-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

We're all folding for Kayla.

The photos above are of Susan and her family folding cranes last weekend.

Herman and his wife Beppie have sent their cranes all the way from the Netherlands.

Kayla's blood pressure has become unstable and she's been in the hospital.

The latest from Kayla's aunt Susan:

We can hardly wait to see the look on Kaylas face when she sees the cranes. Over the weekend we have folded another 150.

Curtis is also sending me Ellens cranes to make it a huge presentation. He said he believes that all the love and prayers that went into her cranes is still in them and that they will cheer Kayla the way they did Ellen. Isn’t he the sweetest. I know how much that means for him to part with something so special.

Kathy Bell is away on spring holiday with the family, but is sitting folding cranes while the boys play golf.

Kaylas grandma and great aunty are also working away at it.

Lots of hands folding and hearts praying.

I have attached some photos of our crane work. Yesterday we didn’t even get dressed until 2.00. We sat drinking tea and folding all day!

Cranes for Kayla

2008-03-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

This is Kayla, Susan's niece.

Kayla was diagnosed at the age of 15 in March 2006 with osteosarcoma, a cancer of the bone, in her right knee.

Kayla's doctors removed the cancerous bone in her knee in a limb-sparing surgery, but the cancer was persistent and on August 30, 2006 they had to amputate Kayla's right leg above the knee, performing a procedure called Van Nes Rotationplasty.

During her recovery from the amputation, Kayla developed an infection and had another surgery in September 2006 to remove infected bone and tissue.

After a lenghty recovery, Kayla resumed chemotherapy and was fitted with a prosthesis. In March 2007 her leg was declared cancer free.

Four months later, in July of last year, Make A Wish granted Kayla a special wish to travel to London to meet J.K. Rowling. Kayla was was privileged to attend a reading by J.K. Rowling of the first chapter of The Deathly Hallows in advance of its release.

Two months later, lesions were discovered on Kayla's lungs and last September she underwent yet another surgery to investigate the lung lesions, which were determined to be cancerous metastases of the osteosarcoma.

Chemotherapy isn't usually very effective against lung metastases, so Kaylas doctors decided to watch and wait to see if the lesions were growing. In December, just before Christmas, Kayla had another surgery to remove a new fast-growing lesion on her lung.

After the surgery, the doctors continued to monitor Kayla's lung lesions. In February, Kayla volunteered to have her head shaved for a fundraiser as part of a benefit for Kids With Cancer.

Most recently, Kayla had another CT scan which revealed that the cancer has returned again and started growing rapidly almost completely enveloping one lung.

Kayla tried to enroll in a chemotherapy trial but was turned down. They are now attempting to enroll her in another chemotherapy trial that has had success in slowing down the growth of the lung metastases of another girl.

Kayla needs our prayers. I will be participating in another crane project for Kayla.

Kayla's aunt Susan sent this email out last night:

Dear Friends,

As many of you may be aware, my niece Kayla has been battling cancer for two years. It started in her knee as bone cancer. Her knee was removed and a limb salvage was done. She adjusted and adapted very well to using a prosthesis. She battled through surgeries and numerous rounds of Chemo. She was doing so well and getting back on with the life of a teenager. We were convinced that she had beaten this disease. But then a few months ago it returned again in her lungs. The doctors did surgeries to remove the lesions, but now they have taken over her left lung and have been deemed inoperable. Kayla has received the worst news possible that her time left is limited to possibly only a few months.

At times like this we can feel so helpless. I am offering you an opportunity to do something that will make you feel some hope.

I am asking for your help to fold Kayla 1000 paper cranes. If everyone I mail this to make a few, we can soon make a total of 1000 cranes. The idea is to say a prayer of a wish for Kayla with each crane you fold.

If you are reading this and are interested in participating, please leave me a comment, enter your email address in the space provided in the comment box (your email address won't be published).

Below is a video by our friend Herman showing how to fold a paper crane:

A Blessed Easter to all...

Good Night Sweet Ellen

2007-08-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

Ellen Crush
September 23, 1954 to August 23, 2007

... And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest ...

More...

My Heart Hurts...

2007-08-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

This is a post I wish I never had occasion to write.

I regret to say that Ellen is dying...

The cancer is growing, and she is preparing for her journey to the next world, her loving husband Curtis by her side.

There is so much love for Ellen in our family. Our meeting was a chance thing, on the internet, she in Winnipeg and us in San Diego, and my son Steven was the connection, both with cancer.

We were blessed to meet her and her husband Curtis in 2005 when we traveled to Winnipeg for Steven's Make-A-Wish trip.

I am now and will forever be grateful for that opportunity.

Ellen, kind soul that she is, arranged for us to see the Winnipeg Bears On Broadway exhibit after the bears had already been put away for the winter. A woman who works for her financial planner picked us up at the airport and took care of us after our luggage failed to show up, buying us clothes to tide us over for our train ride through the frozen tundra.

My heart hurts to think of cancer robbing us of yet another loved one. Such a generous, loving soul, the world is a better place that she is here.

I arrived home late last night with Steven and Sean after having been in Oregon on vacation for two weeks.

Waiting for me was the most beautiful card and necklace from Ellen (pictured above, click to make bigger). Hanging from the chain is a silver origami crane.

Ellen, we all love you so much.

The Cranes Have Landed!

2007-06-27T18:36:00.000-07:00

Ellen got them today. She called me in tears. Thanks to everyone who helped.

I bet she's the only one on her block with 1,113 cranes...

Preparing for Flight

2007-06-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

The cranes are preparing to begin the journey from San Diego to Canada.

I hung 924 of them on a 4-foot 5/8" dowel. I spray painted the dowel yellow.

The other 78 cranes, + the 113 construction paper swans I hung on a 16-inch long 1" dowel.

I made little strings out of hemp and beads that have the names of the blogs of those who participated, and I hung those along with the cranes.

The 5-foot dowel contains 8 strands of baby cranes and 21 strands of standard size cranes.

I tried to find a way to fit all the cranes on the one dowel, but it was beyond my abilities, the 4-foot dowel sags a little as it is.

My husband and I are constructing a box to ship it in, we couldn't find anything long enough and we're trying to make it under the 70" length + width + height max size for Fed Ex.

The weight of both dowels hung with cranes is about 10 1/2 lbs, this is without the box or packing materials, but it feels heavier.

Hopefully they fly tomorrow.

Herman's and My Cranes

2007-06-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

My cranes (36 large, 194 small) + Herman's small cranes (16)

Total cranes = 1,113.

The end is in sight.

Susan and Houston's Cranes

2007-06-11T16:45:00.000-07:00

Susan's cranes (100)

Houston's cranes (160)

Total so far = 868.

Montessori school swans

2007-06-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

This is 113 swans folded by Mary Lou's friend's Montessori school class.

They were challenging to string. As a matter of fact they wouldn't string at all, I stapled them together, but I think that works.

I'm beginning to think those wreaths aren't going to work, that they won't hold the big cranes or the swans, but for now I'll withold judgment until I see how many I have.

So that's 608 down and at least 500 to go...

Cranes In Progress

2007-06-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

Brian's Cranes (78)

Karen's cranes on left, Herman's large cranes to the right, 13 + 94 = 107

Mary Lou's cranes (210)

Phyllis's cranes (100)

495 down, 505+ to go (or something like that).

Strung on monofilament fishing wire with a bead between each crane.

They're going to have to be packed for shipping in such a way that they can go flat, arranging them on the fishing line is taking longer than stringing them.

Cranes By Post!

2007-01-22T11:54:00.000-08:00

We got three packages in the mail last week, one from Washington, one from Utah, and one all the way from Holland.

Steven and Sean went to work on opening them.

A note from Karen, who was able to fold some cranes despite some arthritic pain in her hands.

Phyllis's cranes were folded with many prayers (click photo to see enlarged writing on the side of the box).

Phyllis folded the wings of her cranes beautifully.

And Herman, always a stickler for attention to detail, color-coded his cranes and tied them together with twine.

Beautiful, delicate creatures, thank you for sending them.

Herman's New and Improved Crane Video

2007-01-13T08:36:00.000-08:00

Herman makes folding an origami crane really easy, have a look:

Thanks, Herman!

Herman's Paper Crane Folds

2007-01-06T17:56:00.000-08:00

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

Step 9

Step 10

Step 11

Step 12

Step 13

Step 14

Step 15

Step 16

Step 17

Step 18

Step 19

Step 20

Step 21

Note, there's a missing step here, see:

http://origami.ousaan.com/studio/traditional/orizuru/5/index.html

Step 22

Step 23

Step 24

Step 25

Step 26

Step 27

Step 28

Step 29

Step 30

Mary Lou's Cranes

2006-12-27T12:33:00.000-08:00

From Mary Lou (edited):

I now have 180 cranes made.

I have these all strung together 30 to a chain, which makes it high enough off the floor that the cats can't reach it, and I tied 4 beads at the top to allow it to hang from whatever.

I saw a neat presentation where they had a bamboo parasol, and all the chains were hanging from the ribs of the parasol. It was really pretty.

I strung them with gold metalic embroidery thread.

Even A Klutz Can Fold Cranes

2006-12-24T14:20:00.000-08:00

This was my first attempt(s) at making cranes. I just used scrap notepaper from my desk. I'm a klutz, but I think I figured it out.

I made these from gold holographic wrapping paper. Wrapping paper is a terrible medium, it's way too soft and flexible, but it was gold and shiny and the kids like them.

About Senbazuru

2006-12-22T16:48:00.000-08:00

In 1797 in Japan, the first book containing a description of how to fold origami was published. The book was entitled Hiden Senbazuru Orikati, or "The Secret of 1000 Cranes Origami", and Senbazuru translates to "One Thousand Cranes" in English.

Cranes have been a symbol of health and longevity in Japan since ancient times, and legend has it that whoever folds 1000 origami cranes is pleasing to the gods and will be granted their heart's desire.

Sadako Sasaki was a girl born in 1943 in Hiroshima. In 1945, a nuclear bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Sadako was one of the survivors. For ten years she thrived and grew, participating in athletic events at her school.

Ten years after the bombing in 1955, when Sadako was twelve, she became sick and ended up in the hospital. She was diagnosed with leukemia.

There were many people diagnosed with leukemia as an effect of the radiation they were exposed to in the bombing. On August 3, 1955, a large package of multicolored cranes was sent to the hospital to encourage the patients.

Sadako was inspired by the cranes and began folding her own. She finished 1000 cranes before the end of August and strung them up all over her hospital room. The cranes for Sadako were a symbol of her desire to live.

Sadako passed away from her illness in October 1955, but her experience inspired a memorial and people from all over the world folding cranes as a symbol of their desire for world peace and no more atomic weapons.

The Japanese legend and the story of Sadako has touched me. I believe that the act of doing something repetitive with your hands, like folding cranes or holding rosary beads or other activities serves as a way to aid meditation, to focus one's thoughts or to aid prayer.

I am going to begin folding cranes for my friend Ellen, a dear woman who has had to give up her job as a teacher because of health problems related to metastatic renal cell cancer. I will think of her and say prayers as I fold.

Ellen has many friends, as befits a woman as wonderful and compassionate as she is. I would be honored if any of you would like to help with this project, I will collect the cranes and send them to her when we have 1000, along with your prayers and well wishes.

If you are interested in participating, please leave me a comment and I will get back to you with more details.

Please check the links in the sidebar for more information about Sadako's story and for instructions on how to fold an orgami crane.

And please check back for progress reports.