Happy Monday everybody! It's me, Courage Tiger, and I'm in Arizona visiting our member hospitals. Did you know that we support lots of children in this state? We have programs at Banner University Medical Center, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Cardon Children's, Ryan House, Scottsdale Healthcare, and Tucson Medical Center. Wow, that's a lot of programs where nurses, clinicians, and caregivers administer our arts-in-medicine programs! 
Today I talked with Lizzie, a super cool member from Tucson at the Banner University Medical Center! Did you know that we also support teens? Lizzie was diagnosed with Diamond Blackfan Anemia when she was just six weeks old, so she has gone through many treatments and has been hospitalized many times throughout her life. She did not start getting Beads of Courage until she was about 17 years old, but she was able to catch up on all the beads she collected from the hospitalizations and procedures she had before then. Lizzie told me it was "interesting just to see everything I went through" and that she cherishes the "gorgeous little beads that help me tell my story later on." Her favorite beads were the handmade ones donated by our cherished artists. After her bone marrow transplant, she was able to pick a big, beautiful, handmade glass bead to string with her other beads, and she loved picking that one out. Thank you to all of our artists who donate glass beads for our members on special moments in their treatment journey!
It was so fun talking to Lizzie. Thanks, Lizzie, for sharing your story with me. We love our members and are honored to help them record, tell, and own their stories of courage. Check back tomorrow for more updates from Arizona!
Courage Tiger’s 2017 Road Trip is a feature of the 9th Annual Bead Challenge, a three-month nationwide fundraiser and beadraiser for Beads of Courage. As the official Beads of Courage mascot, Courage Tiger is visiting all 50 states to highlight the incredible work our organization does by sharing stories of our courageous members, families, clinicians, and the caring community of artists and supporters who make our vital work possible. Please get involved in Bead Challenge 2017 by visiting www.beadchallenge.org today. Sign up to PARTICIPATE as a fundraiser, CREATE glass beads, or DONATE to the cause. With your help, we can Make Courage Roar for kids coping with serious illness! Many thanks to Bead Challenge 2017 presenting sponsor Northwestern Mutual and supporting sponsor Soda Lime Times.
- Contributed by Cristal Rogers, Marketing and Communications Intern, Beads of Courage
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