Courage Tiger's Road Trip Day 58: Beads in New Hampshire

I am here in New Hampshire! Currently there are no member hospitals, but we do have quite a few children and teens that we support through our Beads in the Mail Program.

Brenna posing with her beads

One member is Brenna, who has been receiving beads since 2011. Brenna has Shone's Complex, a set of four heart defects on the left side of her heart. Brenna’s mother told me that Brenna also has a VSD (a large hole in her heart) that was fixed with a Dacron patch. Brenna has had three open heart surgeries, the first when she was 2 months old, the second when she was 13 months old, and the most recent, last year, when she was six years old.

Brenna's Beads! Can you find the puppy bead?

When I asked Brenna what her beads meant to her she said that they are for “my strength throughout my heart surgeries." Her favorite bead is the puppy bead, because “it looks so cute!”

Brenna is definitely a member that Makes Courage Roar! Through Beads in the Mail, we help more children and teens record, tell, and own their stories of courage. This program, like so many others offered by Beads of Courage, relies on the generosity and support of people like you. You can help fund the mission by participating in this year's Bead Challenge. That's it from New Hampshire! Check back tomorrow for another awesome story about the amazing impact of Beads of Courage.

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