Spirit Jump

SPIRIT JUMP

2010-04-06T11:59:00.000-07:00

UPDATE:

If you are visiting this site because you received a card through Cards 4 Cancer Day WELCOME! You can receive cards year round from people around the world who want to help lift your spirits. Please take a moment to read through this page to learn how you can get more cards for yourself or your loved one.

To learn more and to sign up visit www.cards4cancer.org

What Is Spirit Jump

Spirit Jump is a 501(c)(3) grassroots nonprofit organization with a mission to provide hope and comfort to the many men, women and children battling cancer. Spirit Jump accomplishes this by providing uplifting cards and inspirational gifts during this most difficult time.

How You Can Help

Become a Spirit Jumper and send cards or small gifts to those battling cancer. When you become a Spirit Jumper we provide you with the names, stories and pictures of men, women and children battling cancer. If any of these stories touch you let us know and we will provide you with their mailing address. This is a direct way for YOU to help the many in need.

There are no membership fees, minimum requirements, "adoptions" etc... all we ask is that you read the stories and send Spirit Jumps to those who touch you. Enter you email address in the space below and click "join" to become a Spirit Jumper.

BECOME A JUMPER

How We Can Help You

If you or someone you know could use a Spirit Jump we would love to help. We have a short application to be completed by the person who will receive Spirit Jumps. You can access this application by clicking the link below or you can email us at needaspiritjump@spiritjump.com if you need any additional information or assistance in completing the application.

REQUEST A JUMP

The amazing thing about Spirit Jump is that both the person giving a gift (Jumper) often has their spirit lifted just as much as the person receiving the gift (Jumpee).

Its Almost Time For Cards For Cancer Day

2010-04-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

Check back soon for our new interactive website

As many of you know Spirit Jump has been working on our first big project, Cards For Cancer Day. This small idea has turned into a virtual and ground movement! In a little over a month our Cards For Cancer Fanpage has reached over 7k fans and over 1k people around the world have officially signed up to make, collect and deliver cards to cancer patients around the world.

A few years ago we never would have imagined that an idea could turn into a project over night then become a movement in weeks reaching over 7 countries. Social Media platforms have allowed us to reach supporters who speak different languages, live in different time zones and embrace different cultures. Yet it has been accomplished because no matter what continent you stand on or language you speak cancer touches all our lives in the same ways. No matter your culture, kindness and humanity lives in all our hearts.

In the next two weeks thousands of cards will be delivered to hundreds of cancer centers throughout the world. Our goal of delivering 100,000 will surely be reached. Visit our Cards For Cancer Day blog www.cards4cancer.org become a fan on Facebook/cardsforcancer and follow us on Twitter to watch how this small idea quickly spreads around the world.

Online Cause Marketing.....Is It Good?

2010-03-31T10:22:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of chatter about online cause marketing over the past several months. Chase Bank, Pepsi, PayPal and Ebay are only a few of the many companies who use cause minded contests to hand out cash to charities. Spirit Jump has taken full advantage of several of these contests and that has given us first hand knowledge about what works, what doesn't and why social cause marketing should be the wave of social media future.

Recently blogger Beth Kanter posed a question on her blog: "Should We Just Blow Up Nonprofit "Vote For Me" Social Good Contests? We were shocked at the number of comments in favor of doing away with "Vote-For-Me" social good contests. Many people claimed that it was too easy to cheat, that the contests pitted one charity against another and that in the end the bad outweighed the good.

While we agree these contests are not perfect there are many invaluable reasons why individuals, companies and nonprofits should not shy away from "Vote-For-Me" social good contests:

For small nonprofits online contests provide the opportunity to be seen. While you may not win the big Pepsi grant, your nonprofit will be seen by hundreds of thousands stopping by to check what all the buzz is about. These large companies advertise their social good contests everywhere including television, online and radio. Nonprofits benefit from this mass advertising.
"Vote-For-Me" contests allow the community to make a decision/have a voice. Under normal circumstances foundation funds and grants are given based on the decisions of board members, and usually to the same charities year after year. Social media has opened those board room doors allowing other charities a chance at funding and allow YOU to help decide what charity should be the recipient.

There are many reasons why cause marketing and social good contests work but mostly they provide an opportunity to participate in a process that has been, for the most part, because it gives individuals and charities a voice.

Cards 4 Cancer Day Video

2010-03-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

We made this video using pictures of cards made by people around the world. We are putting on a project called Cards 4 Cancer Day. On or around 4-10-10 people around the world will be delivering cards they have made & collected to local cancer centers. We are looking for people around the world to help us with this project.

To get the word out Spirit Jump is throwing a contest to encourage people to blog and make videos about Cards 4 Cancer Day. There are 5 $50.00 gift certificates up for grabs from One Hope Wine. You can get amazing wine, gift baskets, wine openers and more. There will be 5 winners here is how you can get one of these $50.00 gift certificates:

1) The Cards For Cancer Day blog post that receives the most comments by noon (EST) ~~3/16/10-~~ Contest has been extended to 3/22

2) The most creative blog post about Cards For Cancer Day by noon (EST) ~~3/16/10~~- 3/22

3) The two most creative & fun YouTube videos about Cards For Cancer Day by noon (EST) ~~3/16/10-~~3/22

4) The team to recruit the most team members from ~~3/9/10-3/16/10~~. For a team member to count they must sign up using a full name and email address. The team member must also type in the name of the team they are joining.-Contest has been extended to 3/22

To be considered for this contest you must email the link to your blog post and/or YouTube video to cards4cancer@spiritjump.org Submissions must be received by noon (EST) Tuesday March 16. Winners will be announced live on the Spirit Jump Show ~~3/16/10~~ 8-9pm EST. Winners will also get an opportunity to be guests on our show that night!

You can read previous blog posts to help you write yours HERE

If you want to start a team you can do so by clicking HERE

2 Tickets To Gravity Summit Up For Grabs

2010-02-15T19:36:00.000-08:00

WEBSITE COMING SOON!

Attention L.A. based nonprofits! We're giving away two free all access passes to attend the Gravity Summit conference at UCLA. The Social Media For Social Good Workshop's panel of experts will teach nonprofit attendees tools and strategies to build an audience using social media, and get the attention of brands interested in cause marketing.

So, nonprofits we want to hear from YOU. Leave a comment with a question you'd like answered by the Social Media for Social Good panel. The winning questions will be presented to the panel and a representative from your nonprofit will receive a full access pass to attend the Gravity Summit Conference 2-22-10.

Shop Spirit Jump Merchadise

2010-01-02T08:38:00.000-08:00

Spirit Jump's mission: Lift the spirits of men, women & children battling cancer. 100% of proceeds from our shirts go to programs dedicated to our mission.

This is our first every Spirit Jump shirt and we are excited to finally release it. They look fantastic on men, women and kids. Purchase one for yourself, a friend or as a Spirit Jump gift for someone battling cancer.

Spirit Jump T-Shirts....Finally!

2009-12-24T11:25:00.000-08:00

Introducing the first ever Spirit Jump T Shirt!

Be the "First One On Your Block" to get the brand new Spirit Jump T Shirt designed by Lisa from Live Life Solid .

Starting today EVERY $25 donation to Meaghan's Fruitcake will get you one of these beautiful shirts!

Donate $100 through the holiday and get a 5th SHIRT FREE! Keep them for yourself, give to your friends or family members or use as a Spirit Jump for someone in need!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Send an email to spiritjumper@spiritjump.com after making your donation with your address and your size requests (SM-XXL while supplies last).

Donate To Spirit Jump & Actor Tony Besson Will Volunteer At Women & Children Center

2009-12-22T17:30:00.000-08:00

We were delighted when actor Tony Besson told us he wanted to help Spirit Jump raise donations. Tony has appeared in numerous television shows including, The OC, Entourage, NCIS, Nip/Tuck, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and more. Tony has been following Spirit Jump on Twitter and Facebook for the last couple of weeks and was moved by our mission: to lift the spirits of men, women and children battling cancer. Last week Tony sent Spirit Jump an email offering to help us raise donations during our Holiday Regift The Fruitcake Fundraiser.

Tony created his virtual fruitcake and set a goal to raise $5,000 for Spirit Jump. Every $40 raised will get a gift package into the hands of someone battling cancer. To top it all off Tony is giving you a challenge: for every $500 donated to his virtual fruitcake Tony will volunteer 2 days at a local women and children's homeless shelter. What an amazing guy!

Click HERE To Donate To Tony's Fruitcake

Help Spirit Jump With Our Fruitcake Fundraiser

2009-12-02T08:56:00.001-08:00

The Spirit Jump Story

2009-11-03T10:20:00.001-08:00

DigiJeff Jumps Out Of A Plane To Support #beatcancer

2009-10-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

Spirit Jump was honored to be 1 of 4 charities involved in the #beatcancer mission to get the most shared messages on the internet. This attempt was successful and got in the Guinness Book Of World Records!! And ontop of that over $70,000.00 was raised to be shared between the 4 charities involved.

While this was only a 24 hour attempt the message continued on long after those 24 hours lapsed. In fact someone even jumped out of an airplane to support #beatcancer. DigiJeff, who works with Chamillionaire a multi platnium artist, had never jumped out of a plane before nor did he ever want to. But, he saw an opportunity to make a difference and took it.

Please take a moment to watch this video about DigiJeff's #beatcancer jump!

Our Trip To Vegas

2009-10-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

As many of you know Spirit Jump had the honor and privilege to attend both Blogworld and Sitscation in Las Vegas. It was an amazing experience and we met so many wonderful people, organizations and business.

Our founder, Meaghan Edelstein, was invited by Blogworld to be a speaker on the Kick Cancer's Ass Panel along with Jay Scott of Alex's Lemonade Stand, Drew Olanoff from Blame Drew's Cancer and Natalie Lent of Stand Up To Cancer. It was an amazing opportunity for Meaghan to meet some very influential, inspiring and brilliant people who fighting to bring cancer awareness to the forefront of peoples minds and hearts.

As many of you know Spirit Jump was also invited to Blogworld as 1 of 10 winners of the Name Your Cause contest held on Twitter. This gave us an opportunity to have a booth at the Expo on Friday 10-1:30 where we gave out "swag" bags and encourage everyone around to sign up and become a Spirit Jumper. All the items in our "swag" bags were donated by Spirit Jumpers like Live Life Solid, Do Life Now, Pinwheel Girls, Destiny, Amy B.- THANK YOU!

Spirit Jump was also involved in a charity contest called Charity Smackdown put on by PayPal & Ebay. We were the heavy underdogs and won by only $30. We could not have done this without all our amazing supporters who made this win possible! As the winners of Charity Smackdown Paypal will donate $2,000.00 to Spirit Jump!

Spirit Jump knew right away that we had to donate some of our winnings back to the other charities. Each one of these charities raises money for important causes and were represented by amazing people who we fell in love with. So, when Spirit Jump receives its $2,000 prize from PayPal we will be donating some of that to the following charities:

Heifer Portland
3For5
Canine Companions for Independence
Best Friend Animal Society
Alex's Lemonade Stand
Stepwise Foundation
Surfrider Foundation
LA's Best
Mothers Fighting For Others

Here are some photos of the Spirit Jump team with some of the above charities:

(Jay & Melissa of Alex's Lemonade Stand)

(Meaghan with Noland & Bryan of Heifer Portland)

(Rocky of Mothers Fighting For Others)

(Kerri with 3For5)

(Sally of Stepwise)

(Bryan with two representatives of LA's Best)

Spirit Jump was also very honored to be invited to SITSCATION and man did we have a blast with these ladies!

The amazing ladies at SITS threw a fabulous fundraiser party for us last Friday at the Venetian and it was so much fun! I (Meaghan) met many of the women I have been looking up to for the past year and a half I have been blogging, I danced my butt off AND SITS raised over $900.00 for us that night!!!! This was just more than we could have ever imagined and for that we will be eternally grateful!

To top it all off SITS also hosted an online auction that very day and will be hosting a second one this Friday. We have been in such desperate need for funding and these ladies really pulled through for us....THANK YOU!

Spirit Jump was part of a Historical moment

Some of you may have seen the #beatcancer over the past few days. This was an attempt by an organization called Everywhere to set a Guinness World Record for distribution of the largest mass message through social media. Four charities were chosen to be a part of this record setting attempt and Spirit Jump was one of the four which also included Stand Up To Cancer, Alex's Lemonade Stand and Bright Pink. Along with setting a record over $70,000 was raised to be shared between the four charities involved.

We at Spirit Jump would like to extend a huge thank you to MillerCoors, Ebay/PayPal and Everywhere for making this possible and for including us in this important record setting message #beatcancer.

Check out our interview with Blogworld!

2009-10-17T17:44:00.001-07:00

Meaghan Edelstein, Spirit Jump from What Gives on Vimeo.

Kick Breast Cancer's Butt Fundraiser

2009-09-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH IS HERE!!

Its Breast Cancer Awareness month starting today October 1. We want to help honor BC month & raise awareness by hosting a fund raiser giveaway with some really cool prizes. Spirit Jump is a grass roots charity that relies 100% on donations from our supporters. We would greatly appreciate any donation no matter how large or small! We help Breast Cancer fighters (as well as anyone battling any type of cancer) during their battle by sending cards & small gifts to lift their spirits! While raising money for research is essential we must remember those battling right now need our love, support and encouragement! To make it fun you could win 1 of these 4 awesome prizes:

PRIZE 1: Awesome CANCER SUCKS shirt with the Do Life symbol in Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness. This shirt is beautiful, edgy and inspiring. The Do Life brand was created by Victor after he lost his mother to Pancreatic Cancer. The retail value of the Cancer Sucks shirt is $13.00

If you cant wait to see if you win you can always order one by visiting Do Life

PRIZE 2: Beautiful Breast Cancer Awareness hat created by Do Life . This hat is 100% Polyester Twill with Pink breathable mesh sides, reflective safety stripes, 3D embroidered Pink Ribbon symbol on front with DoLife™ symbol on back and velcro backstrap. Retail value $13.00

If you cant wait to see if you win you can always order one by visiting Do Life

PRIZE 3: Beautiful hand painted artwork by Carol Beck of Hot Wax Art This painting was picked out by Meaghan because of its beautify and all the purple used to create it. Purple is a healing color and that is what we all need when battling cancer. Retail value for this item is $50.00

PRIZE 4: This beautiful Angel with pink bordering is the perfect gift for someone battling breast cancer. We all need angels watching over us during difficult times and this piece of art can be hung anywhere in your room so that your angel is always close by. Approximate Retail Value $100.00

For each donation of $1 you will receive 1 entry for this week's drawing 11 entries for $10. There is no limit to the number of entries you can receive. This weeks Giveaway starts Thursday October 1 @ 1:00 pm EDT and ends Friday October 9 @ 11:59 pm EDT. We will draw 4 winner's for this week's giveaway.

E-Commerce Solutions

Spirit Jump Giveaway Official Rules:
No purchase necessary. For each donation of $1.00 made to Spirit Jump, donor will be assigned one(1) ticket for this week's raffle and 11 entries for each $10 donation. If you do not choose to donate but would like a raffle ticket at no charge, send an email with your complete name, address and telephone number to spiritjumpraffle@aol.com. All donations or email entries must be received by 11:59 pm EDT on Saturday October 9, 2009. Winner will be selected among all donations/email entries received in a random drawing. Descriptions of prizes listed above. Approximate retail value of Cancer Sucks Shirt $13.00, Breast Cancer Hat $13.00 Purple Art Work $50, Angel Art Work $100.00 All prizes will be awarded. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: Spirit Jump www.spiritjump.org

Are You A Spirit Jumper???

2009-09-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

I think we can all be Spirit Jumper's ever day of the week. Think about it, do you lift peoples spirits throughout the day? You can do this by opening the door for someone whose arms are full, smiling at a woman on the street who looks like she has been crying or calling your grandparents in the middle of the week just because.

While there are many ways to lift the spirits of those around you we at Spirit Jump have a very specific way you can help us lift spirits. Spirit Jump is always looking for men, women and children who can send cards to people battling cancer in order to lift their spirits. Its really that simple to be a Spirit Jumper.

When you join Spirit Jump you will receive emails from our team with names, stories and pictures of men, women and children battling cancer. If you are able to send a card to, one or all of them, simply reply to the email with the name(s) of those you want addresses for. Then its up to you to send the card, or small gift if you want. As a Spirit Jumper you can always visit our website and click "Jumpees" to see a complete list of names, pictures and stories of all those who are in need of spirit lifting. And, of course you can always email us and ask for any of these addresses.

You can also find Spirit Jump on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin

And of course we are always in need of Donations and you can donate by clicking our "Donate" button on this page top right corner.

Denied Due To Pre-Existing Condition

2009-09-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

My name is Meaghan and I am the founder of Spirit Jump. As some of you may know I was diagnosed with 3b cervical cancer a few years ago when I was only 28. Given 20% chance of surviving my spirits were low. Not only was I battling for my life, having chemo, internal radiation, external radiation, numerous surgeries BUT I was also battling for my insurance. Thats right! Shortly after my diagnosis my insurance company, Mega Life, dropped me under their Pre-Existing clause.

I had to make a choice, battle for my life or battle for my insurance - I chose LIFE. But, now that I am alive I am dealing with hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical debt. I receive numerous letters from debt collectors daily, harrasing phone calls and ruined credit scores. I am unable to receive any insurance due to my cancer diagnosis which means I cannot just go to the doctors when I am sick, get prescriptions so I can get healthy etc.....

I AM NOT ALONE IN THIS and that is one of the reasons I started Spirit Jump. To help the many men, women and children battling cancer. Many of these brave people are also battling insurance companies much like I did. I want to help them remember that people out there do love them, are praying for their good health and rooting them on.

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

2009-09-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Lets honor this month by becoming aware and educating friends and family about Ovarian Cancer.

We at Spirit Jump have gathered some useful information, common questions and answers, as well as personal stories from those who have and are battling Ovarian Cancer. Please take a moment to become aware by reading this post.

Common Questions About Ovarian Cancer

What is Ovarian Cancer? ~Ovarian cancer is cancer in the ovaries. Women have two ovaries, one on each side of the uterus. Tumors found in the ovaries may be noncancerous tissue growths (cysts) or cancerous growths that may spread to other parts of the body.(this answer was found on WebMD)

What are common signs of Ovarian Cancer? ~Bloating of the abdomen (anywhere between the bottom of the ribs and the area between the hip bones {pelvis}, from side to side). Pelvic or abdominal pain. Trouble eating or feeling full quickly (also known as early satiety).Urinary symptoms as might also be experienced with bladder infection, such as urinating more frequently, having to go urgently, or having pain with urination.(this answer was found on WebMD Blog)

How is Ovarian Cancer Treated? ~The main treatments for ovarian cancer are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. In some cases 2 or even all 3 of these treatments will be used.(this answer was found on American Cancer Society Website)

Who is at risk for Ovarian Cancer? ~As with most cancers, the risk of developing ovarian cancer increases as you get older. Most cases are in women who have had their menopause. Apart from getting older, your risk of ovarian cancer may be increased by: family history of cancer, having breast cancer, being infertile or having fertility treatments, using hormone replacement therapy HRT, being over weight or tall, having endometriosis, using talcum powder, smoking, saturated fat ( this answer was found on Cancer Research UK)

How can I prevent Ovarian Cancer?~There have been no sure ways to prevent Ovarian Cancer and research is still being conducted in this area. Some suggestions are: use of oral contraceptives, dietary modification and exercise, pregnancy & breast feeding, genetic counseling, tubal ligation and ovary removal. (this answer was found on Oncology Channel Website)

If there are any questions or information not listed here that you would like to share PLEASE leave it in the comment. The only way we can become aware is by sharing our knowledge.

Jumpee's Battling Ovarian Cancer

Pamela K.

43yr old mother of 3 boys (16,13,5). Pamela was diagnosed in February 2006 with 3rd stage Ovarian cancer. Immediately she was subjected to multiple surgeries and 6 rounds of chemotherapy. Pamela then went into remission until October of 2008. Again she went into surgery and started more chemotherapy. August (2009) blood work confirmed the cancer was again active and growing. Now Pamela is facing surgery and radiation.

Crystal F.

Crystal is 26 years of age and has stage 3C Ovarian Cancer. She was diagnosed at 22 years old on Nov 15, 2005 and has been undergoing chemotherapy ever since. On September 2nd Crytal was declared in partial remission. Her doctor said she will probably never be in full remission. Crystal will most likely need to be on chemo for the rest of her life, but with breaks in between.

Jenny M.

Jenny is a Spirit Jumper & Ovarian cancer fighter. Last month we received a message from Jenny that she is in ICU & her liver was failing. The doctors were very concerned that her liver would go into complete failure. Because Jenny has cancer she is not a candidate for a liver transplant. Jenny is out of the ICU and continuing to improve. However, her fight is not over and she is in and out of the hospital on a weekly basis.

Jessica L

Up until this point of the story, Jesica may sound just like many of you mothers out there - and she is, all while fighting a horrific battle with Ovarian Cancer. She was originally diagnosed in June, 2006 and has unfortunately had three recurrences since then resulting in Jesica having to undergo difference three surgeries as well as a hysterectomy. Jesica was recently informed that her cancer was terminal. You can visit Jesica's blog http://www.pixiemarierose.blogspot.com/

Diane R (in the center of photo)

diagnosed with stage 4 primary peritoneal carcinoma in May of 2008. It is a very rare and aggressive form of ovarian cancer. The prognosis for this stage of cancer is appx 1 year. The cancer started in the lining of her abdomen and spread to her right lung. She had a complete hysterectomy. Diane has had chemo. Her cancer was now end stage.

The above are only a few of our Jumpee's who are battling Ovarian Cancer. If you would like to read ALL Jumpee stories you can do so by clicking on Jumpee's at the top of this page. If you would like to send a card or small gift to any of these brave women please send us an email: spiritjumper@spiritjump.com

Remember in September

2009-09-06T06:50:00.000-07:00

Spirit Jump wants to remind everyone that you can always send a Spirit Jump to any of our Jumpee's. All you have to do is come to our site, click on Jumpee's, look @ the pictures & read the stories. Then, if you want to send a Spirit Jump to anyone send us an email asking for their address......Its that easy!

We send out Spirit Jump Request emails every Wednesday and Saturday. These emails contain new Jumpee's with their stories and pictures. After we send out the email we also put these new fighters on our site under Jumpee's so you can always come here to read the new requests. You can also tell friends and family to visit us and read ALL the stories. We are sure there is at least one story that will touch everyone.

I should take a moment to explain what a Jumpee is for those of you who are new to our site. Jumpee's are men, women and children who are battling cancer and are in need of spirit lifting. It is difficult to battle cancer, painful, scary and often lonely. Receiving a simple card in the mail has the power of lifting spirits no matter how low they may be.

You can be a Jumper if you sign up with us. A jumper is a generous, loving and charitable person who sends cards to those battling cancer. Just a simple card with a stamp is all it takes to touch someone's life. You can become a Jumper by putting your email in the space provided under the HOT PINK Join Spirit Jump Button on the right side of this screen.

Our request this week is for you to read through the Jumpee stories and pick one or even all and ask us for their address so you can send a card and lift their spirits!

Cynthia, Nick & Elizabeth Need Your Support

2009-08-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are visiting Spirit Jump for the first time please click HERE to read about our organization.

As most of you know Spirit Jump sends out two Spirit Jump Request emails a week (Wednesdays & Saturdays). We have been growing quickly and receiving many emails from people battling cancer asking to be included in these requests. On average we have 6-10 individuals per week who need their spirits lifted. This means we need more Spirit Jumpers (those who receive the emails and send out cards & gifts to lift the spirits of those in need).

If you are not yet a Spirit Jumper and would like to become one its easy. On the right side of this page you will see, in hot pink, Join Spirit Jump. Simply type your email address in the space provide and click "join". You will then receive a Welcome Email which will explain, in detail, how our organization works. If you would like to read this Welcome Email now CLICK HERE.

As a Spirit Jumper you will receive two emails a week with names, stories and pictures of people in need of having their spirits lifted. If you read a story that touches you, you reply to the email and ask for that persons mailing address. You can send a card/gift to every person in need, just one person or none at all. You can also read all the Jumpee Stories at any time on our website under Jumpee Stories - CLICK HERE to read them now.

Along with needing new Spirit Jumpers we are also in need of donations to keep up with our growth. Your donation is Tax Deductible and goes towards purchasing Spirit Jump gifts, cards, mailing costs, operating costs and much much more. Please help us continue to help those battling cancer by clicking on the Donate Button located on the top right of this page. Ever dollar counts!

THIS WEEKS CALENDAR:

Sunday Morning 6:30-7am Meaghan will be on South Florida's 107.9 Country. If you would like to listen to the live stream visit www.wirk.com between 6:30-7 am EST.

Sunday starts our week long Big Book Giveaway. We will be giving away lots of books, some autographed by the author. Stop by our site all week to find out how you can win one!

Tuesday 7-9PM EST The Spirit Jump Show with Founder Meaghan Edelstein.
This week our guest is author & cancer survivor
Darren Neuberger. Darren's book, Let’s Talk About It, and his personal battle with cancer will be the topic of our show.

You can watch the show LIVE, call in with questions and live chat www.wafs.tv this Tuesday 7-9PM EST

The Healing Power Of CranioSacral Therapy & Tuesdays Guest Kimberly LaRue

2009-08-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

This week I was lucky enough to try CranioSacral Therapy and I LOVED it! So I decided to invite Kimberly LaRue to be this Tuesdays guest on The Spirit Jump Podcast Show (Tuesday 7-9EST www.wafs.tv).

Kimberly is a licensed Massage Therapist, CranioSacral Therapist, Yoga and Meditation Instructor, Holistic Cancer Therapist and Lecturer. Kimberly strives to encourage and support people in their discovery of their own natural healing ability, leading to a greater sense (awareness) of well-being and overall health.

I had the pleasure to meet Kimberly and benefit from a CranioSacral Therapy session. It was amazing and I am shocked I had never heard of it before. After my session I felt lighter, less stressed and just plain better. My first thought as I was walking out of the center was "I wish I had taken advantage of CranioSacral Therapy earlier".

As a cancer fighter I have endured many types and levels of pain. For the past two years I have tried almost everything including more pain medications than I care to mention (Fontanel patches, lolli pops, diloted, hydrocodone, oxycodone, oxycoton etc...) All these pain meds did was numb me. I still had pain but I cared less about the pain.

Yoga, Meditation and CranioSacral Therapy are wonderful ways for people with cancer to heal both emotionally and physically. I encourage you all to stop by, watch, listen and call in this Tuesday to learn more about the healing power of a gentle touch!

You can read more about Kimberly and her amazing work by visiting Shade Tree Yoga and Wellness

Spirit Jump Live Podcast Show Tuesday 7-9 EST

2009-08-17T12:46:00.001-07:00

I have some fun and exciting news, I have my very own podcast show! You can see me, chat in the chat room and call in every Tuesday 7-9 EST. I am also looking for guests to interview on the show. So bookmark the site www.wafs.tv and tune in. The call in number is 561-228-4020

We talk about all sorts of things from what its like to be a person battling cancer, how you can help others battling cancer, interviewing authors, other non profits and all sorts of fun stuff. Just like my charity Spirit Jump there are no boundaries!

This week I have two guests:

Cindy Papale

Cindy is the author of The Empty Cup Runneth Over. She is also a breast cancer survivor and associate producer - Board member to The Kristy Lasch Miracle Foundation -www.kristylasch.org
You can visit her website to see all the amazing things Cindy has going on:

www.theemptycuprunnethover.com

AND....on the show Cindy will be giving away one of her autographed books to a lucky caller

My Second Guest Is~

Paula Holland De Long:

Cancer survivor, life coach, speaker, and founder of What’s Next For My Life, Inc., Paula Holland De Long is an authority on how the lessons of survivorship can bring joy, passion and purpose to anyone's life. Her workshops for survivors are offered at cancer treatment centers and support organizations. Her women's teleconference action groups attract participants from around the country. What’s Next For My Life?™, is launching two new products in October, 2009. The “What’s Next For My Life? Survivor Companion Journal and DVD. To learn email paula@WhatsNextForMyLife.com or visit

WhatsNextForMyLife.com

A Wonderful Spirit Jump Gift & Help Support Us

2009-08-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

Spirit Jump Blossoms From DK Designs
$5 donated to SJ for each sold

Cheer up and lift the spirits of those in need with the little gifts of beauty and hope. Handmade clay flower arrangements are the perfect gift to give to a Jumpee because they not only lift their spirits with a realistic, yet beautiful everlasting flower, but each little votive also has a inspirational message (i.e. "hope", "faith", "love", etc). The initial launch of flower votives will contain either single bloom of pink rose, pink ranunculus or purple hydrangeas. More flower types will eventually be available.

Many times cancer patients who are in critical care are not allowed to have fresh flowers in their rooms so these little gifts are perfect and will definitely lift their spirits.

You may ask why Diane of DK Designs decided to create these little arrangements on behalf of Spirit Jump. The reason is simple, she herself has been affected by cancer (her mother died of breast cancer over 21 years ago and her mother-in-law currently suffers from an aggressive form of bladder cancer). She was moved by the premise of what Spirit Jump stands for and what we do to help cancer patients and wanted to give back. Thus, the little flower spirit jump was born!

Spirit Jump Blossoms

Price - $30.00

Shipping - $5.00

Amount to be donated back to Spirit Jump - $5.00

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOURS

UNIQUE CARDS FOR SPIRIT JUMPS FROM DK DESIGNS
$5 DONATED TO SJ FOR EVERY SET SOLD

These note cards are perfect to send to someone who needs a little spirit lift. There are 8 different note cards in all different color combinations. Half of the cards are more masculine in design and 4 that are more feminine in design. Each come with a powerful message "faith" or "hope" charm tied with some beautiful complimentary colored ribbons.

Each note cards comes with an ivory envelope with a postage stamp making it that much easier for you to send a spirit jump to someone in need! Of course these cards would be great for anyone who needs a little cheering up. The pewter charm can be attached to a necklace chain or bracelet so the recipient can carry these words with them whenever they need a little hope or faith!

The note cards come packaged in a re-usable muslin bag. Some note cards may require the use of a metallic or opaque pen.

Also note, for every purchase of the Spirit Jump Inspirational Cards, $5.00 will be donated to Spirit Jump!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOURS

About DK Designs

DK Designs specializes in custom, handcrafted clay floral designs, as well as tropical and Asian-inspired wedding stationery. Clay flowers are created utilizing CLAYCRAFT™ by DECO© Soft Clay, formerly DECOMAGIC Soft Clay.

DK Designs was founded in 2002 by Diane Katsuyoshi-Phillips in San Jose, California, helping brides make their wedding days uniquely their own. In November 2003, DK Designs became accredited by the DECO Clay Craft Academy headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii and its instructors are now able to share with others this beautiful craft developed in Japan.

In 2005, DK Designs moved the business to the island of Oahu. During that time Diane worked hard to expand her destination wedding business, working with her brides-to-be and helping them create their own custom wedding theme. It was definitely a great opportunity to work with so many wonderful people (both from the client and industry professional perspective) on the islands!

In late 2007, DK Designs made a move back to the Bay Area. It's been non-stop since the move and Diane is busy designing new custom wedding and event stationery as well as clay floral creations for her clientele! Diane is also actively teaching the Deco Clay Craft Academy courses to share her knowledge and art of Deco Clay with others! Diane still enjoys working with destination couples and continues to return to the islands, her home away from home!

Diane Phillips of DK Designs was recently featured on the Martha Stewart Show on April 1, 2008. She showed Martha Stewart how to make hydrangea flowers out of CLAYCRAFT by DECO Soft Clay. Click here to watch the video segment. Diane's work has also been featured in several bridal magazines both online and in print.

GIVEAWAY VIDEO

2009-08-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

Watch our video about our Summer Giveaway Fundraiser & Read How You Can Enter HERE

What's A Good Way To Participate In Spirit Jump

2009-08-07T06:04:00.001-07:00

Please Help Support Spirit Jump, Participate In Our Giveaway ~ CLICK HERE

Many people ask us "what should I send as a Spirit Jump?" You can send whatever you like from a store bought card to a handmade gift or flowers. To make things easier we have decided to put together little videos about Spirit Jump with suggestions on how to participate. Check out this weeks entitled: "Buy A Box Of Cards"

Special Offer From Self Symmetry To Spirit Jumpers

2009-06-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

There are many wonderful Spirit Jumpers who also have beautiful shops where they sell items. As many of you know a large number of these shops offer special discounts for Jumpers when they are purchasing as a Spirit Jump gift.

I wanted to share one of these shops with all of you - Self Symmetry

The owner of Self Symmetry makes beautiful bracelets and sends them as Spirit Jumps. Because I think these pieces would make a wonderful Spirit Jump gift I asked her if Spirit Jump could share her shops information with all the jumpers.

In fact Kat made special braceletes inspired by Spirit Jump. They are bracelets that lift spirits, make a statement, and remind you to celebrate life! Kat thought they'd make great gifts and is offering a very special deal for Spirit Jumpers. Spirit Jumpers can order these from Kat online and she will send them directly to the person needing a jump. She will attach a note with it as well.

To receive a 15% discount, please enter "SpiritJump" as the coupon code.

You can also visit Kat/Self Symmetry on Twitter: @selfsymmetry

Recent Spirit Jump Interview

2009-06-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

Question (Q): How would you define this project and how did it start?

Answer (A):

Originally I started a blog called I Kicked Cancers Ass as a therapeutic means to write out my experiences with cancer as I am a Stage 3B Cervical Cancer Survivor. Many started to find my blog and reach out to me for answers and some comfort. As my blog grew in popularity I found myself wanting to do more. From my own experience with battling cancer I remembered just how nice it was to receive a card or a gift from someone almost daily. These little touches of love really helped me in my recovery and helped give me the will to keep fighting. It took my mind off the pain of cancer if even only for a moment. I knew I was lucky enough to have my friends and family there for me but I also knew that not everyone was as fortunate as I. This is how I thought of Spirit Jump. I would match those caring individuals out there who wanted to give with those who were in need of a real lift.

Q: What is the main purpose of Spirit Jump?

A:
The main purpose of Spirit Jump is to let those who are fighting cancer know that they are not alone in their fight and that there are many people out there who care and who are rooting them on with all of there hearts. Our hope is that these little care packages will bring some hope to someone in need. When someone is struggling for the strength to keep fighting we hope that at those tough moments maybe a little package of love comes that day and gives that person the extra little strength they need to get through that day.

Q: How many people does your project have, from people working directly with them to the people helping and the people that benefit from it?

A:
Spirit Jump is being run by myself and my co-founder Stacy Billow who I also met through my blog. Stacy is a 24 year cancer fighter as well. Currently our number of givers is around 600 but we are growing almost daily. Our number of receivers is somewhere around 100 but we generally send out a request via email for about 5 new people a week. Spirit Jump will have an article in Cure magazine in a few months and with a distribution of over 4 million our numbers are sure to jump up quickly after that.

Q: Do you see the Internet as a fundamental tool to every social program?

Absolutely! Being able to reach out online has allowed me to connect with so many amazing people. I would imagine no matter what anyone might be dealing with they can find someone out there who knows what they are going through. Someone in California can now help someone in Florida or anywhere around the world for that matter. Spirit Jump actually has some international people involved as well. It’s really fantastic!

Q: Was your project fully created thinking about the Internet or you only use the Internet as one of the means of promotion?

A:
Well in a way I guess Spirit Jump was created as a result of the internet and the social avenues the internet provides. It continues to be the main avenue we use to promote Spirit Jump but we are always open to more conventional means as well. I have had several articles in newspapers and I already mentioned the Cure magazine article that will be out this year. We are also looking for some spots on talk shows in the coming year as well.

 Q: What tools online do you use?

A:
Currently we are heavily into Twitter (@spiritjump) but we also have an account on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=197520490523) as well as our own website at www.spiritjump.org

Shops That Give Discounts When Purchasing For Spirit Jumps

2009-05-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

Amy's Angels Free Handmade Cards for Cancer Fighters
Noradoramora Chemo Caps for only $13 when purchasing as a Spirit Jump
Colleen Geary's Arbonne 20% discount when sending as a Spirit Jump gift
Cheese & Chocolate 15% discount for those purchasing a gift for a Spirit Jump
Charms of Light 20% discount for those purchasing as a Spirit Jump gift. Promotion Code: Spirit Jump
Wind Rose Fiber Studio 20% discount for those purchasing a gift for a Spirit Jump. Type "Spirit Jump" in the message to seller box at your time of purchase
Altered Angel Supply 15% discount for spirit jumpers
Ciszek Design 15% discount for Spirit Jumpers
Miss Berly's Designs 15% discount when the coupon code SJ is used
Ladybugs and Lilypads 10% discount when you use the code SPIRIT at checkout
Celeste Craft 10% discount for Spirit Jump gifts, both ready-made and custom items
Tags-n-Stones Free shipping when you send a spirit jump. Put SJ in instructions
Hot Wax Art 10% discount on purcahse prices to Spirit Jumpers
Kristens Custom Creations Free Shipping for Spirit Jump gifts
Daisy Cake Soap 20% off when sending as SJ. Use Coupon Code "Spiritjump"
Self Symmetry 15% discount & a special note provided. Enter "SpiritJump" as the coupon
Silver Dot Jewelry Design 20% discount just include the coupon code SPIRITJUMP in box
Silver Sachet 20% discount just include the coupon code SPIRITJUMP in box called Discount Coupon (excluding sale & clearance items)
Scent Station Inc. 10% off order 10% donated directly to SJ per order, must order direct from: ubrewme@yahoo.com
Sun Frog Originals 20% discount when purchasing a gift for a Spirit Jump. Type "Spirit Jump" in message to seller box at your time of purchase.
Blue Dandelion Designs 30% off to Jumpers for either an existing album or 20% off a custom order

Spirit Jump Donation Changes: VERY IMPORTANT

2009-05-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

Changes

As many of you know, Spirit Jump is run and completely funded by two cancer patients and we are in need of lots of things in order to keep up with our amazing and very unexpected growth. We recently began accepting tax-deductible donations as we are a non-profit organization.

Initially, Spirit Jump used a trial of a program called Tip Joy in order to accept donations. However, at this time we have this particular program does not offer the features we need to have in order to meet our operating and reporting requirements as a non-profit organization that offers TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS to its contributors.

As a non-profit foundation we are required to send each donor a tax-receipt for the amount of money they donated so that they are able to write it off of their taxes at the end of the year. Unfortunately, Tip Joy did not provide the features required for us to send out these tax-receipts to our donors.

After working with a Financial Consultant, we have found that PayPal offers a 100% SECURE DONATION PAGE and is the most convenient way for Donors to give to our cause. PayPal also offers us the ability to run our operating reports and send our tax-receipts to our donors with the click of a button and without any fee.

PayPal has provided us with a "DONATE" Button for the Spirt Jump Website as well as the ability to accept donations made with credit cards, debit cards and PayPal right away.

Our donors also DO NOT NEED TO HAVE A PAYPAL ACCOUNT TO MAKE THEIR DONATIONS!

If you would like to donate to Spirit Jump, simply click on the "DONATE" Button in the top, right hand corner of the Spirit Jump home page. This link will direct you to a SECURE donation page through PayPal. Following your donation, you will receive a letter of acknowledgement in the mail confirming your donation so that it may be used for tax purposes at the end of the year.

Words cannot express our gratitude for all you have done in promoting and supporting our program. We are so sorry for any inconvenience this has caused any of our donors.

If you have any questions regarding this new process, PLEASE feel free to email me at Stacy@spiritjump.com and I will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

**NOTE WE ARE NO LONGER USING Tip Joy's SERVICES! **

Spirit Jump Destiny & her Mom

2009-05-19T07:10:00.000-07:00

I was contacted by several people on Twitter (social network for those of you who are not a part of it) asking that Spirit Jump do something to lift the spirits of this amazing girl. I contacted her mother and asked if Spirit Jump could help and she sent this moving email in response:

“My daughter Destiny is 9 and she has Neurofibromatosis (Nf). All I do is tell her story and I spread awareness to whoever will listen. You would be surprised how many doctors and nurses that don't know what Nf is for instance here is my daughter's story.

Destiny was 10 months old when she was trying to walk. She took 2 or 3 steps and then she sat in the floor crying, there was nothing I could do to console her. Finally, after a while, I took her to the emergency room. While there they examined her and found that she had multiple fractures in her right leg and they saw the cafe au lait spots and said that they were bruises after she was misdiagnosed for child abuse.

Child Protective Services took her away and 2 days later she was seen by an orthopedic who diagnosed her with Nf. Her broken leg was tibial dysplasia and psuedoathrosis which is a congenital bone defect that sometimes occurs with NF. That's how I found out my daughter had Nf.

Destiny has had several surgeries to repair her leg but none of them helped and 2 years ago when she was 7 she had her foot amputated and she now wears a prosthetic leg as a result. She was also sent to a neurologist who found the tumor on her brain stem and the optic glioma on her left optic nerve. My daughter has to have a MRI every 6 months.

All I do is tell her story. I do it because I want the world to know what nf is. If the world knows there can be no more mistakes.

Destiny likes to read, draw, sing ,dance. She loves babies and video games and loves animals.

for all Destiny goes through she is a true inspiration to everyone. She may have Neurofibromatosis but that doesn't stop her from striving to be that best that she can be everyday and touching everyones life in the process.

two people have been battling and remain brave, inspirational and strong. Please help me lift their spirits. Just email Spiritjumper@spiritjump.com & say you want to jump Destiny's spirits.

Chemo Caps for People in Need of a Jump

2009-05-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

Today's post is a wonderful offer by our good friend and Spirit Jumper Noradora. She has made some wonderful Chemo Caps that would make a great Spirit Jump gift for someone who is losing or has lost their hair due to chemo.

There are also lots more shops who offer great discounts when you purchase a gift for a Spirit Jump. All shops donate gifts to people battling as well so I encourage you to purchase gifts for people battling from them. To check out all the jumpers just click on JUMPERS on the top bar of this website :)

Hi Spirit Jumpers!

Having been inspired by this spirited group, I have Crocheted With Love a stylish hat from my own original design. I have chosen the softest of soft yarn for comfort and any recipient could wear this style for casual or dress up and be comfortable at all times.

If you are a member of “Spirit Jump” and would like to purchase this hat to jump the spirits of someone with cancer, please visit my shop Noradoramora , convo me and I will make a reserved listing for you and reduce the price to $13. I have this hat in 19 different colors.

In addition to these "Crocheted With Love Hats" I additionally offer a 10% discount to a Spirit Jumper who buys other hats or items from my shop to jump the spirits of someone from our list. This 10% discount does not apply to the "Crocheted With Love Hat" as I will discount that hat by $5.00 when you place your order.

This is the information I would need if you want to purchase one of my hats to send:

-Name of person you are sending this to.
-Address of same
-Special note (I will copy it and print to send with hat).

My special thanks to Meaghan and Stacy for making it possible for me to offer this to our Spirit Jumpers!

Warmly,
Noreen aka NoraDoraMora and Noradora

Gift Suggestions for People Battling Cancer

2009-05-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

We have been asked to put together a list of gift suggestions. First I would like to encourage everyone to check out the Spirit Jumpers who have shops. You can see some amazing handmade gifts by click on the Tab Jumpers. There make jewelery, chemo hats, blankets, artwork, stuffed animals etc...And every shop with ** next to it gives a special discount to people who are purchasing gifts for Spirit Jump.

Here is a quick list of gift ideas that were shared with my by people who have/are battling cancer:

Netflix Membership
iTunes Gift Cards

Humor Books - Get your friend funny books to read or have read to them.
Misc. Cancer Apparel - Here are some misc. sites with all types of cool gifts and cancer gear for the cancer fighter/survivor in your life!

Cancer Apparel, Cancer books & CDs, Buttons, Gift Baskets, Assorted gifts, Jewelry, Cancer Sucks stuff, Wrist Bands, Caregiver gifts, New Cancer Products, Treatment Days

Cool Swag for Knitting Freaks!! Us fighters get bored laying around all the time. If your fighter knits this site was recommended by another survivor. Totally Awesome stuff for everyone who knits.

Knit them something. If you can knit this is a great gift! Terri's friend made her one of these and she loved it.
JulieMeryl this girl donates 100% all net profits to the LLS!
Gift Back this is a grate place to send flowers, and you can choose from tons of charity's to donate 10% of your total cost!
Tutti Fruity Designs 10% of every sale to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Twenty percent for featured products. Cute things for little kids and their moms.
Sports Gifts for Cancer Fighters this is a unique gift place for sports fans
Cancer Research UK Gifts this is for our UK frends
Chillow Pillow for those whose treatment results in menopause
Gas Cards for those who have long drives to their treatment centers. It can add up b/c often treatment is every day for months upon months.
Personalized Gift Baskets
Cards - cheap, easy & so important!! Home made cards are great too if you are on a tight budget.
Food (depending on the situation)
Books
Read books/magazines to them or get books on CD
Write on Caringbridge or blogs
Flowers
Games
Chapstick
Pajamas
Angel statue
Pillows
Blankets
Stuffed animals
CDs/music
DVDs
Inspirational Jewelry
Fruit basket or Edible Arrangement
Lotion
Fancy Shmansy Water bottle
Cancer books
Magazines
Eye Masks
Hand Held Games
Slip On Slippers

How Spirit Jump has helped Sammie & her Mom

2009-05-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

I received an email from Sammie’s mom today and wanted to share it with all the Spirit Jumpers. Those of you who send out cards & gifts to Sammie know her story. She is a brave 11 year old girl who has been battling bone cancer for about 3 years. Unfortunately they have run out of treatment options and are now spending time together. Recently Spirit Jump ask for cards and small gifts to be sent to this family in hopes of lifting their spirits during this very difficult time. Here is what Sammie’s mom wrote me:

We have had the most amazing and thoughtful gifts coming for Sammie.. and they always drop me a note as well! Someone sent flowers.. very beautiful flowers.. handmade soaps,, teddy bears..webkinz.. everyday is a surprise.. thank you again for your compassion and kindness.

I have been trying to send thank you notes as well.. Please add that today we got the most AMAZING art work.. a collage of photos (my words do not do it justice) that brought me to my knees and made Sammie smile a very big smile.. we also got a blanket, with a collector Cabbage Patch doll..a personal teddy bear from someone that went through chemo already.. some lovely earrings.. and the cutest monkey.. All the homemade cards are so touching and SO much talent.. thank you for giving us something to look forward to during the long days at home..
With respect, love and gratitude.

Chris- Mom to Sammie
her caring bridge site is..

http://www.blogger.com/www.caringbridge.org/visit/sammiehartsfield

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEND SOMETHING TO SAMMIE EMAIL:

Spiritjumper@spiritjump.com

Welcome To Spirit Jump

2009-05-13T12:20:00.001-07:00

Spirit Jump is a program that directly connects the gift giver with a person battling cancer. It was founded in November, 2008 by two young women who have both battled cancer.

Meaghan is a cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with end stage cancer with a 20% chance of survival in February of 2007. Like many cancer patients she experienced the horrors of chemotherapy, radiation and numerous surgeries. Today Meaghan is CANCER FREE and is thankful for all of the support of her family and friends who stood by her side through her cancer fight.

Stacy is currently fighting Stage IV Melanoma. Diagnosed, October, 2007, Stacy is still undergoing treatment and fighting this horrible battle.

Click on either of their names to be re-directed to their personal websites.

The Mission of Spirit Jump

If you have a shop, artistic abilities or even an extra card in your drawer and you want to give it to a person in need, send us an email that you want to be a Spirit Jumper at spiritjumper@spiritjump.com We will then connect you directly with a person in need, or we can give you a list of names, a brief description of what their particular cancer battle is and you can choose. When the match is made, We’ll give you that persons mailing address and then it’s up to you to send the gift. It’s a simple.

If you decide to be a Spirit Jumper you will be overwhelmed with the joy and warmth you feel when giving a gift. Additionally, every Spirit Jumper is welcome to write a post on our website and tell our many readers about your shop, blog or website. You may include links, photos and any information you want to be featured on the site. We encourage you to also include why you decided to donate, who you donated to and maybe even a photo of what you donated. This will be wonderful exposure for your shop, blog, website and you will be lifting someone’s spirit, WIN, WIN!

Want to be a Spirit Jumper just email: spiritjumper@spiritjump.com

Need a spirit jump or know someone who does just email: needaspiritjump@spiritjump.com

This website is a work in progress so please keep checking back!

Supporting someone through cancer

2009-05-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

This is a post my dear friend Shakenfruit wrote. The advice she gives is dead on and I thought many of you might find it helpful. If you want to check out her blog go to www.shakenfruit.blogspot.com

If I introduced you to my friend Meaghan, you would turn to me and say very seriously: that chick is awesome! Then you would scheme about enticing her out for a night on the town. But along with all this Meaghan fabulousness, there are tiny bummers, for example, Meaghan's friends function largely on a need to know basis. She was like this before she was diagnosed with Stage 3B cervical cancer.

Before the cancer, if you needed to know she smoked the LSAT and was attending Law School in the fall, you were told. We are all dying to be on Meaghan's "need to know' list." It is a small special coven of pink things, scathing intelligence and wise counsel. Some how, I have managed to weasel my way into her heart.

Meaghan is going to write a book about her diagnosis and treatment, and she asked if I, ShakenFruit, would consider contributing a small piece about being her friend throughout the ordeal. I'm not sure I have anything useful to offer, but I would love to help anyone who hates living on a "need to know basis" in general, much less when our darling, irreverent, full-of-life friend turns into skin and bones before our eyes.

When Meaghan was finally diagnosed properly (you'll read about the HORROR of not being properly diagnosed when she writes her book) we were all in shock. What Meaghan went through is incomprehensible. Get that Lifetime Channel, made for TV "Fighting For My Life" special starring some bald, Z list actress out of your head, because what happened was WAY WORSE.

If your friend is anything like Meaghan, I hope these thoughts help:

Show Up. Unless you Are Asked Not To Show Up
Sometimes Meaghan was alert and awake and feeling up to having visitors, and I was just so desperate to see her and have her know how much I love her, that I would forget to be nice when I got a call that she wasn't feeling up to a visit. How Meaghan was feeling could change on a dime, and because her symptoms involved feeling very physically uncomfortable and enduring very personal side effects, sometimes she just didn't want anyone around. That's her prerogative. She's the one with cancer. I regret that I didn't suck it up sooner (like, IMMEDIATELY) and put a card in the mail, or search out something funny to send, like a Margaret Cho video.

Now is the time to lavish your friend and her family with wholesome goodies, funny cards, funny e-mailed videos (if she is feeling up to looking at a computer screen. Seriously, sometimes looking at a computer screen would make Meaghan sick, or was too much effort, or she was too tired, etc....) or just leave a message for her family sending your love and white light. If you are able to visit, bring something: a knitting project, a book, a long report you need to slog through. Sometimes the patient needs to nap, or needs to be in the bathroom for a long time. Bringing something with you shows you don't expect to be entertained.

Don't Ask a Million Questions. Or Maybe Ask a Million Questions.
Of course you want to know everything. This is your shiny darling friend. The one who got you through that horrible relationship, saw you out the other side and (most amazing to you) DOESN'T JUDGE YOU FOR IT. You want to know everything about what she's going through, except, you can't, and honestly, unless you are her primary care provider? It's not your job.

It is your job to tell funny stories about life outside cancer, and listen to her every word, and not open your mouth before she's through. Sometimes it is your job to get her ginger ale while nausea passes. But it is not your job to understand every medical thing that is happening to her. In fact, if you can ask someone else who knows, like her primary care giver? Ask them instead, because she is sick of answering everyone's questions.

Now, Meaghan received care at the most respected cancer treatment hospital in our country's questionable health care system. The best. So I had no reason to ACTUALLY be concerned about the care she received. They had it down. Cold. It was ugly and brutal and painful, but it was the best care she could receive. Your friend might not have the same luxury (if that is AT ALL the appropriate word) when it comes to her treatment.

The million questions I swallowed rose to my lips because I thought I needed to know. I didn't. But maybe you do. If you need to ask questions because the quality of your friend's care is in doubt, start by asking questions very, very gently. And don't ask your friend. She is too busy STAYING ALIVE to take copious notes and feel grateful for your interest.

Auction to Raise Money to Fight Bone Cancer

2009-05-07T07:04:00.000-07:00

This is a very Important post! Please read and pass along to everyone you know.

The picture you see above was created by one of our Spirit Jumpers in an effort to lift the spirits of a young child batting terminal cancer. Now she continues to help the fight against cancer by auctioning the painting off and donating ALL proceeds.

I asked the artist to tell you, in her own words, how she came to create this beautiful painting and why she is auctioning it.

Basically, I was doing the spirit jump for Sammie (handmade soap with a dolphin bath toy swimming in it!) and thought it would be nice to send a card to Sammie’s mum too. I decided to paint a nice relaxing sunset scene for her (I paint with beeswax) and I made a print of the painting for her, to put into a card. I thought it would be great to be able to raise some money for charity by auctioning off the original painting!! After some careful thought, I decided to donate the proceeds to the Anthony Pilcher Bone Cancer Trust based here in the UK. I chose that Trust because of the similarity with Sammie’s own battle with bone cancer – Anthony Pilcher was diagnosed at 14 and passed away aged only 15.

The Ebay auction is running for 10 days to bid please click HERE

I am taken aback by the generosity here and I truly hope that everyone considers bidding and forwarding this on to friends and family!

Another Great Offer For Spirit Jumpers

2009-05-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

Wendy from Litkey Design is offering a 10% discount at her Etsy store to anyone who would like to purchase a Spirit Jump Gift for someone in need. Wendy has also generously offered to custom make anything at no extra cost as well with the same discount. Please keep in mind that Amigurumi's (crocheted animals) take a couple weeks and monkeys or monsters can be done within 2 or 3 days usually but give it a week just to be safe. She also plan to start offering felted bags soon and will have gloves, hats and scarves starting in the fall.

A portion of all of Wendy's sales goes to The Cancer Research Institute. Her mother had a good prognosis with her cancer, but died from a chemotherapy complication, cancer treatment research and options are very important to her. The rest of the proceeds support her art therapy and mental health counseling degree, so she can spend the rest of her career helping people. Every penny spent is for a good cause and this will hold true even with a discount.

Please Wendy's Etsy store Litkey Design

Great Offer From One of Our Spirit Jumpers

2009-05-02T15:21:00.000-07:00

I received an email with a GREAT offer from one of the Spirit Jumpers, Noreen. Recently we have had many new people join Spirit Jumpers. A few of them informed me that they were hesitant to join at first because they weren't "crafty" or "artistic". I had to giggle to myself because I am the least crafty or artistic person I have ever met. While many of our Spirit Jumpers happen to be extremely talented that is NOT a requirement to be a Jumper. Personally I pick up cute cards and purchase things from some of the Jumpers who have shops.

Speaking of buying things from other jumpers, Noreen made a pretty cool offer:

I would like to offer that if anyone wants to purchase a gift from either of my shops to send from a spirit jumper...I will give a 10% discount and will mail it with a printed note provided by the person who has purchased the item! The Spirit Jumper would have to first convo me through my shop so I could reduce the price and then they would need to send me a note with the name and address of the person being jumped so I can mail the gift to them. I could cut and paste the note from the jumper on a paper to include with the gift.

Noreen Farrington

http://www.noradora.etsy.com (Doll Items)
http://www.noradoramora.etsy.com (hats, gloves, scarves and many more items)

Spirit Jump Changes Lives

2009-04-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

Many of you know about Spirit Jump my charity organization that I run with Stacy. However, I think there are still many who don't so I am taking an opportunity today to post about it.

I started Spirit Jump (SJ) in November of 2008. It was a small idea based on how I felt when all of my friends sent me cards, gifts, flowers and food to me while I was battling cancer. Each day I received something and as the days passed these tokens of love lifted my spirits and gave me the strength to continue fighting for my life. At first I thought the cards/gifts would stop shortly and that everyone would move on with their lives quickly forgetting about me. But they didn't. Each day more and more came and no one EVER forgot about me. I was not left behind, even if I tried. So I decided that I wanted to start a charity that lifted spirits and reminded cancer fighters that they were not being left behind but instead they were being cheered on and loved by many.

"I have received many emails from people SJ has supported and I want to share some of the things they wrote to me with you:

I have been more blessed with Spirit Jumpers then you will ever know. Not because of the gifts...because of the love, the support and the idea that there is someone who is thinking of me and Philip...praying for us...and cares.

In today's busy world..that is amazing.."

"I have been overwhelmed by the heartfelt cards and beautiful gifts complete strangers have sent me."

"I cannot explain enough how great it is to get a package in the mail and know that someone is thinking of me and rooting me on. In the Thankful Thursday Post we mentioned Spirit Jump and what they have done. The simple things really do jump my spirits in ways most never understand."

I just need you all to understand how important what you do is! These are only three out of the over 75 people we currently have who need Spirit Jumps. Think of the lives you touch, the smiles you bring, laughter, curiosity, joy, hope and wonder you bring into the lives of those touched by cancer. And not only the person who has been diagnosed but their parents, siblings, husbands and wives. The power of a small gift is beyond any of our comprehension. Do you understand what you are doing and have done? I dont think you do because it is indescribable!

I just thought it was important to thank everyone who has become a Spirit Jumper and I encourage all of you reading this who are not yet to join and do something that really matters yet is as easy as sending out a card that says I care.

I am posting pictures of some of the things Spirit Jumpers have sent out. There is something I have to address. I get many emails from people saying they do not own shops and/or dont consider themselves creative. I have to admit im one of those people who isn't gifted in the area of creativity but that does not stop me from being a jumper. If you are gifted in the pocket book consider purchasing something from one of the jumpers who does have a shop (their links are listed under jumpers on the Spirit Jump site) and if you are like me and not gifted in the area of hte pocket book simply buy a card or look to see if you have a couple extra in your drawer left over from Easter/Christmas/etc....Remember nothing is too small!

I hope you enjoy the pictures and consider becoming a jumper yourself. Just email me at spiritjumper@spiritjump.com and I will send you an email telling exactly how the program works and then you can decide if you would like to become a member:

DONATED BY:
NORADORA

Donated By:
Carol

Donated By:
Krissy

Donated By:
Kristen's Custom Creations

Donated By: Curly Q Cuties!

Donated By: Silver Sachet

Egg shaped Soap

DONATED BY: Marie Maglaque
Singapore
http://satinetsoie.blogspot.com/

DONATED BY: Barbara Plyler

http://www.cbcrafts.etsy.com

DONATED BY: Noreen Farrington

http://www.noradoramora.etsy.com

DONATED BY: Michelle Kolachi
www.kolachishop.com

DONATED BY: Barbara Plyler

http://www.cbcrafts.etsy.com

DONATED BY: Marie Maglaque
Singapore
http://satinetsoie.blogspot.com/

DONATED BY: Noreen Farrington
http://www.noradoramora.etsy.com

DONATED BY: Jean-Marie
http://daisycakessoap.etsy.com
Jellybean Soap

DONATED BY: Jean-Marie
http://daisycakessoap.etsy.com
Hockey Puck Soap

Hand-Made Pendants Donated by: Erin at Bits of Flair

Donated By: Dana Marie's Art

Hand-Made Pink Ribbon Angel Charms Donated By: Pat from The AngelPatch

Hand-Made Art Donated by: Frannie's Heart

Hand-Made Cards Donated by: Cards By Amy's Angels

Hand Made Cards by: UrbanDebris Artlog

Care Package Donated by: Eye Kandy Glassware & Gifts

Journal Donated by: CBCrafts

Hand-Made Crocheted Hat Donated by: Noradora

Donated by: Tabitha DeGruy

Hand-Made Breast Cancer Awareness Necklace

and Cell Phone Dangler

Donated by: Jewelry By Janine

Donated by: Constance Deeney

Donated by: Just Add Cake

Donated By: Sauk Mountain Lavender Farm

Donated By: Tara's TieUps

Donated By: Silver Dot Jewelry

Donated By: Crafty Moose

Donated By: Silver Dot Jewelry

Painting Created & Donated By: Tracy Griffin

Meaghan's Surgery

2009-04-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody!!

Just in the event that you don't subscribe to Meaghan's Personal Blog I wanted to take a second to update all of our Spirit Jumpers on Meaghan's progress following her kidney surgery on Monday.

The surgery was on Monday morning and went well, but she is now one rib and kidney less. It has been very painful for her, especially last night. She was scheduled to be released today, but unfortunately will be staying another night.

If anyone is in the Boston area and would like to visit her the address is below:

Hosp. New England Baptist
c/o Meaghan Edelstein
125 Parker Hill Avenue
Boston, MA 02120

Hopefully Meaghan will be out of the hospital tomorrow. She will then be recovering at her parents home in Western Massachusetts until May 5th. If any of you would like the contact information to send something to her house, please email me at stacy@spiritjump.com and I will get you the information.

Thank you all for continuing to keep Meaghan's Spirit up as she goes through what will hopefully be her LAST surgery!!!

Nominated for Best Charity Blog Please Vote!

2009-04-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

We have been nominated as Best Charity Blog and need your votes! Im hoping that we can win this and get our Spirit Jump some much needed attention so we can Jump many more spirits.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

Amy & Philip Story

2009-04-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce you to an amazing woman, Amy. Amy and I met online a while back when she emailed me about a product for her son, Philip. It was then that I learned about Philip who has been bravely fighting for his life since he was a baby. When Philip was three weeks old he was flown to Arnold Palmer. He had a large arachnoid cyst and needed a brain operation. At the age of 6 months the cyst came back and he once again needed a brain operation. Philip has had a total of 15 brain operations to date. He also has had a stroke and over 20 Orthopedic operations. To read more about Philip please visit his CaringBridge Page by clicking HERE

Amy has also asked that I ask all of you to pray for Philip's upcoming surgery to be succesful. He is having a major brain and spine operation May 12th. This will be Philip's 17th brain operation and 3rd spine operation. He has had a stroke on right side and now his left side is losing strength.

Amy has dedicated herself to her family and recently her family was given another battle. Please read Amy's story and leave a comment. If you are a member of Spirit Jump I have sent out an email asking for Spirit Jumps for both Amy and Philip. If you would like to give a Spirit Jump to this family please email spiritjumper@spiritjump.com

You can also visit Amy's blog @ Our Daily Blessings

My name is Amy. I am a 40 year old mother of 4. About a year ago I started to just not feel well. No matter what I did or tried I just did not feel like myself. My first thought was it was due to my weight loss. I had weighed about 223 pounds and been on a pretty strict form of Low carb and gotten down to 136. Instead of feeling better, I felt awful.

In Jan 2008, I decided to go visit my family doctor and explain my concerns with her. She decided to run some basic test , which all turned out "okay". She decided to send me to a rheumatologist to have them run some more advanced testing. The next day I received a phone call from the new DR office and was told their first available appointment was in 6 weeks. While I was disappointed in having to wait for so many weeks, I figured it would be well worth the wait to finally get some answers.

I guess it is never a good thing to place all your hopes on a DR you have never met before. I went to the appt and within 5 minutes she had me diagnosis and pushing me out the door. I left feeling more discouraged then before I went.

I brought the original lab work results from my Family DR to the rheumatologist appt. I explained to her that I was overly tired. That I was cold all the time and had no energy. I also told her I had severe bone pain to the point I was taking 4 advil every 4 to 6 hrs most days. I told her I had a thyroid problem that was very controlled with meds and that my check up with endocrinologist showed my thyroid level was fine .

The DR asked me if I happen to have any stress in my life. She noted that I was a mom to 4 children and that had to be very stressful. I kind of shrugged and said I think it is more of a blessing then stressful. I then shared with her that my oldest son did have some serious medical issues which included over 15 brain operations and a stroke. I told her that while this was stressful it was something that our family had been dealing with for a long time and I felt like my stress level was really pretty well balanced. This was all she needed to hear. She decided right then she wanted me to take sleep medication and a antidepressant. I was a little taken back..okay a lot. I told her that I really felt like there could be something medically wrong . She said she was sure I had and sent me off with the scripts and told me she would see me back in a month. I left feeling defeated and wondering if maybe it was all in mind.

Over the next few months I spent some time reading information on fibromyalgia. I wanted to see if there was a blood test or scan that could show if you have fibromyalgia The more I read the more I learned that it can be hard diagnosis and even harder to treat.

Over the next few months I tried to fake it till I could make it. I kept taking my daily advil and resting on the harder days. I would sleep with my heating pad...sweat all day...things just seem to get worse . NO matter what I did I just felt awful.

In September 2008 I decided I needed to go back to my family DR . My bones hurt so bad I could not even get out of bed some days. I also had developed a painful condition with my feet. It was so odd. They would feel numb but at the same time I had needle pains in them. Sometimes it was hard to walk on them .I explained to her what the rheumatologist had said. She suggested I go back and see my endocrinologist . She thought maybe there was a sugar issue.

My endocrinologist took some labs that showed my sugars to be perfect and once again my thyroid level was perfect on my current level of medication. The endocrinologist wanted me to see a neurologist for a follow up to the pain in my feet. They made me a appt for the following month for a appt and testing. Little did I know this new appointment would end up saving my life.

October 2008 I started having a odd feeling in my left side. I ended up doubled over and was rushed to the ER. It was found that I had a large mass on my left ovary. It would need to be removed immediately. I ended up losing my left ovary and my left tube. I can remember feeling like such a bad mom because it was Halloween and I could not go trick or treat with Cole my 4 year old. I promised myself that I would get better and be ready to enjoy the holidays. My path report came back showing pre cancer cells. It was a relief to have it removed and be able to move on and put it all behind me.

A few weeks later I had my scheduled appt with the neurologist to follow up with my foot pain. He asked me a bunch of medical questions . He asked me how I was feeling and actually listened to my answers. He decided to run some medical test including a lyme test. It was planned for me to return the Wed before Thanksgiving for a EMG of both my feet and to review my blood work.

November 2008...I go for my EMG testing . He said all the blood work that had come back was fine and we continued on with the EMG. As he is doing my test the nurse knocked on the door and brings in some blood work. He shakes his head and I think...wow that person must be getting bad news. Sure enough it was my blood work. He explained to me that while my EMG was normal I did have two blood test that concerned him. He asked if I happen to have any lumps.. I knew then I could be in trouble. I had a appointment with my Family DR the following week because I had a lymph node in my neck that was swollen and had not gone away. He looked at it and then said we need to talk.

He said I needed to see a surgeon and a oncologist within the next week. He wanted a surgeon to remove what he thought was a cyst. He wanted the oncologist to go over my lab work.

From that point on my life changed in ways I never expected.

My first reality lesson was when my caller ID said Cancer center. Wow. Then I had to actually go and walk into the office marked cancer center. I sat there and looked around. I will never forget that "feeling". I looked and wondered if the people there were scared. I wondered what was wrong with them. And I wondered if they would live. I just sat there and felt really bad for the people who were "really" there for cancer. As for me I was there for some blood work mistake. I met with the oncologist who seemed nice enough. He explained to me that I did have some blood work that was abnormal and could indicate cancer but he said he could assure me that it was a fluke. He asked me to have a bunch of blood work done and return to see him after I had my "cyst" removed.

The oncologist wanted me to get a mammogram. It was my first one. I felt empowered getting It done. Taking charge of my health. Of course my first one turned out to be exciting. They found something on my right breast and had me stay for a second one and then a ultrasound. They said they would send the results to my oncologist. The oncologist wanted me to have a MRI done after I healed from my cyst removal.

The following day I saw the surgeon. She was wonderful. She explained to me that we needed to remove the "cyst" . She wanted to me to have a MRI so she could have a mapping of where it was at. WE decided to go ahead and plan the surgery for right after Christmas. I left with a plan of action and was relived I would be able to have the holidays free of operations.

My MRI was scheduled for Dec 4th . A few days before that I noticed that I had a second lymph node. I kind of half joked that there was a baby one now. But within a few days I found I could not swallow easy and my neck was swollen with two very large nodes. The day I had my MRI the radiologist asked to speak to me after my scan. He said there was a issue that needed to be addressed. His first question was had I ever smoked. I said no , why? While doing my scan they happen to see some nodules on my chest wall that concerned them. He said he would be putting a call into the ordering Dr to let them know. I nodded and said thank you. I walked to the bathroom and sat down and cried. I panicked . I called my mom and my MIL and cried hysterical. For the first time I was scared. Really scared. I could not believe all this was happening.

That afternoon my Surgeon's office called and asked me to come in first thing Monday morning. What a wonderful way to spend a weekend...worried too death. She examined my neck and was shocked at the second one that had grown so large. She wanted to put me on a very strong antibiotic and move up my surgery date. She explained that she was not sure she would be able to remove the whole nodule. She said they were both very large and very deep. I had a very unpleasant test done on her office where they put a tube down to look at my vocal cords. I asked her if she was worried about the cyst and she said well...I still feel pretty confident they are cyst but we will not know until we get them out. She decided to do a cell biopsy and send them off to a lab stat. She also decided to have a pathologist in the OR so she has a better idea of what needed to be done. I look back and think..I should of known then.

It was decided we would do a PET scan to follow up on everything after we got the "cyst " out.

Dec 10th I went into the hospital for removal of the cyst and left in really and shape. When I woke up the first thing I realized was I had major pain in my neck and drains and a large bandage wrapped very tight. I whispered to my DH what did they find. He said we needed to wait for the results. I noticed it seemed that no one would look me in the eyes. For days I had a drain and bandages and the most incredible pain I could ever imagine. The pathology results were due to be back the following Monday. I found myself feeling like Monday would never come. I also noticed my DH seemed very distant. I figured it was just a lot of stress.

The Following Monday Jim was on his way to get me for my follow up appt and drain check. The phone rang and it was the nurse. She said she wanted to let me know that I could wait till the following day to come in because they were still waiting on the form and staging of cancer and they hated for me to try to get up and come in when I was in so much pain when the results were not back. She then said. How is your DH doing the Dr was very concerned when she came back to the office and had to tell him you had cancer when he was alone.

So I had cancer.

I called my DH and asked him is he thought we should talk about my cancer diagnosis. He came straight home and said he was sorry. He explained to me that he could not look at me and tell me when we did not know what kind or stage. He also said the DR said she knew I needed to rest from the aggressive surgery and they agreed to wait to tell me when the path came back. Someone forgot to tell the nurse.

I have been asked if I was upset with Jim for lying to me. How could I be mad. He gave me a few more days that I did not know I had cancer. He took care of me knowing that in a few days my whole world would change. He did it out of love.

For days we waited for the final report. It was then decided it needed to be sent to Mayo clinic. The DR saw me daily for weeks. I had to have the drain put back in days before Christmas. The Dr told me the pathologist told her that the whole nodules had to come out. He was sure if any was left it would kill me. She said she was so deep in my neck she had to get on the table. That explained the pain factor.

During this time period the DR noticed a few bumps on my face that had to be tested for MRSA. I ended up with 8 band aides on my face. I then had to go back in a antibiotic that was known to cause CDIFF. So that required some specialized testing every other day. It really felt like I was falling a part. And in some ways I was.

Christmas eve I got the call that the same infection that was on my face tested in my lymph node at MAYO clinic. A course of 12 weeks of strong antibiotics and a Infectious disease Dr was added to the team.

I finally got the diagnosis of NON Hodgkin's stage 2. I also had a secondary infection that needed to be treated. During this time period it was found that the original symptoms I had when I saw the rumetolgist was due to a underlying auto immune disease. .

I am doing a course of once a week chemo and steroids. I just had my second PET scan yesterday to check how the treatment is working. I need to see if the nodules on my chest wall are stable. MY new treatment plan will be based on the scan results. I have a MRI in June of my breast with a follow up for a biopsy.

Yesterday when I had my PET scan done , the tech happen to be getting my history. He said wow you have a lot of lumps in your body. I have to admit that was really hard to hear. I sure hope the new PET shows less "lumps" then last time.

I wish I could come here and say I am sure everything is going to be okay. But I have to admit that I am scared some days . This is all still new to me. Some days it feels like a bad dream. I find myself wondering how things turned out this way. How did I turn into one of those patients in the waiting room of the cancer center? But most days I feel strong. I am digging deep and finding a new stronger me.

I hope Meaghan will invite me back when I can share the great news that I am cancer free.

God is GOOD .

Recent Spirit Jump Gifts and Shops

2009-04-10T16:59:00.001-07:00

I cant tell you how excited and happy I was with the overwhelming response to our recent email asking for some much needed Spirit Jumps. The gifts that were sent to those battling bravely were great and I wanted to share them with you all. There are also links so please check out the shops of those Spirit Jumpers who recently donated. And think of their shops when you are going to make your next house warming, bridal shower, birthday etc...purchases!

Egg shaped Soap

Marie Maglaque
Singapore
http://satinetsoie.blogspot.com/

Barbara Plyler

http://www.cbcrafts.etsy.com

Noreen Farrington

http://www.noradoramora.etsy.com

Michelle Kolachi
www.kolachishop.com

Barbara Plyler

http://www.cbcrafts.etsy.com

Marie Maglaque
Singapore
http://satinetsoie.blogspot.com/

Noreen Farrington
http://www.noradoramora.etsy.com

Jean-Marie
http://daisycakessoap.etsy.com
Jellybean Soap
Jean-Marie
http://daisycakessoap.etsy.com
Hockey Puck Soap

Easter Spirit Jump

2009-04-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

As you know we are doing a special Easter Spirit Jump for those kids who are spending their Easter fighting terrible diseases. I have asked all the wonderful Spirit Jumpers to email me if they are able to send a little something to lift the spirits of the kids and young adults on our list. This picture is from smokeymountainscents's shop and they are sending this very basket to two little girls who are bravely fighting a disease that has and will take a lot from them.

If you are looking for a fun gift for your little one I suggest checking out these baskets and if you would like to donate yourself to Spirit Jump please send us an email: www.spiritjumper@spiritjump.com

Easter Spirit Jumps

2009-04-06T14:13:00.000-07:00

Hello Spirit Jumpers! Next Sunday is Easter and I was thinking it would be wonderful to send special Easter Spirit Jumps to all those in need. If you have an extra Easter card, candy, stuffed animal.....let us know and we will match you up with one of the many people whose spirits are low this Easter.

Please send an email to spiritjumper@spiritjump.com if you want to participate in this special Easter Spirit Jump.

Two Girls Need a Spirit Jump

2009-04-02T06:05:00.000-07:00

Meet Naomi and Deanna Harry. Most of you got our Spirit Jump email with their names listed. These two young girls both suffer from Duchennes. Their parents have started a Facebook group for them. They have posted a note telling their story and I thought it would be nice to share it with you. The nomination process is over so you won't be able to vote but I will let you know if they get on the show.

I asked everyone if they heard that Extreme Home Makeover is coming to Western Mass. Humbly, it is to ask you to nominate us. For those who do not know, 2 of our daughters have Duchennes Muscular Dystrophy. This is a progressive degenreative disease that destroys muscle tissue as the child grows older. Eventually the ability to move will be lost and will result in death. This may sound harsh, but for us is no more then Life. Naomi, aged 9, is already to the point where her walking is a hardship. If we are blessed she will make age 10 or 11 before she is totally wheelchair bound. (She already uses a wheel chair extensively).Our house is a 16 year old modular with no way to reach the living area on the first floor without climbing stairs. Naomi has not been able to use stairs for 2 years now. The girls room is currently on the 2nd floor. Matt and I pretty much have to carry her upstairs and help her down. Children grow and it is very hard for me to do this. Matt is great, but I'm not sure how much longer he can continue to carry her upstairs. Our bathrooms are not handicap accessible. Of the 2 bathrooms in the house, the 1 most adaptable is upstairs on the second floor. Right now we have no Garage. Naomi cannot walk on ice or snow at all. When winter comes we must carry her to the car.That is not the end of the story. My youngest daughter Deanna was diagnosed at birth with Duchennes also. This multiplies the issues that we face. She is 2 1/2 and in 3 short years the same issues we now face will resurface.If you should know another family who would benifit just as much and feel led to nominate them by all means nominate them. We are blessed by the freindships that we have and are amazed by the support that has been so freely shown us.May God Bless You All.
Nancy and Matthew Harry

Thank You To The SITS Girls Blog for the Friday Favorite Feature!!

2009-03-27T07:36:00.000-07:00

Meaghan and I would like to Thank The SITS Girls SiTsTahood Blog for choosing our Spirit Jump project as Their Friday Favorite and featuring our project today! The response we have received already has been absolutely TREMENDOUS!

We are so thankful that we have this opportunity to reach out to so many cancer patients and give back the support and encouragement we have been fortunate enough to receive throughout our battles with cancer.

Again, thank you to all of you who have contributed to the Spirit Jump Mission of Fighting Cancer with One Gift at a Time!

If you haven't seen the Friday Favorite article posted on the SITS Girls Site, you can click on the link below and you will be re-directed to the post.

Click Here to view The Friday Favorite Article Featuring Spirit Jump

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!

Follow Spirit Jump On Twitter

2009-03-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

Lots of things are going to be happening with Spirit Jump in the next couple of months. Stacy has been doing a lot of work to make us a Non-Profit Organization and we have received lots of emails from people who want to jump spirits and who need jumps. Therefore, we have created a Twitter Account to keep everyone posted. Please click HERE and follow Spirit Jump on Twitter.

The more followers we have the more people we can help!

Here are some things that you can expect to hear about in the next couple of weeks:

- Updates on the many fighters who have received Spirit Jumps.
- Highlights with links about the many Spirit Jumpers and their shops.
- Pictures of the creative and beautiful gifts that have been donated by YOU.
- New ways to help people fighting cancer.
- An updated FAQ section.

If you have any suggestions, ideas, questions, concerns or comments E-mail us or leave a comment. We love to hear from everyone.

Meaghan@spiritjump.com (email Meaghan)
Stacy@spiritjump.com (email Stacy)
Spiritjumper@spiritjump.com (if you want to jump a fighters spirit)
Needaspiritjump@spiritjump.com ( if you need a spirit jump or know someone who does)

Meaghan Is Back

2009-03-06T09:15:00.000-08:00

Hi Spirit Jumpers! I just wanted to let you all know that I am back and ready to jump as many spirits as I can. You will all be getting an email from me very shortly and we can start helping all those wonderful men, women and children who need us.

Calling All Spirit Jumpers

2009-01-01T05:53:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone. Stacy and I wish you all a HEALTHY and happy 2009!

We have a new button and would LOVE for all of you to put it on your blogs or websites with a link back to this website. Hopefully the button will help spread the word about our project so that more spirits can be jumped. Remember its not only the person who receives the gift who gets a spirit jump, its the giver too!

This is going to be a very exciting year folks! Spirit Jump is going to grow and grow and cancer is going to be dominated by us all! Those of you who read my personal blog have heard this before:

Happy Holidays From Spirit Jump

2008-12-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

Donated By Dana Marie Art

We at Spirit Jump (Meaghan & Stacy) would like to wish you all a very happy holiday!

Stacy and I have been working on getting all our lists, donations, spirit jumpers etc...organized. There are several new cancer fighters in need and we will be sending out requests for spirit jumpers in the next couple of days so keep an eye out.

If you are new to Spirit Jump please click HERE to read more about us.

If you would like to visit the official SPIRIT JUMPERS click HERE.

Want to see what types of things have been donated click HERE.

Become a Spirit Jumper or Receive a Spirit Jump by contacting us, click HERE

We are going to be writing posts about the individual Spirit Jumper shops. There are many wonderful people and shops who have donated to this project and we are going to be highlighting them all. If you have any questions at all please contact us.

xoxo
Meaghan & Stacy

ABOUT

2008-12-20T05:21:00.000-08:00

How It Started

In February 2007 Meaghan Edelstein, a law student at Shepard Broad Law Center in South Florida , was diagnosed with stage 3B cervical cancer. After being misdiagnosed for over two months the tumor was finally discovered by her doctors. She was told she had little chance of survival but Meaghan decided to fight. She was immediately flown to Boston where she received treatment at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. After receiving internal/external radiation, chemotherapy and numerous surgeries Meaghan was on her way to recovery. While in the hospital many people visited Meaghan, she also received many cards and gifts along the way. Meaghan credits these small touches of love with giving her the extra strength to keep fighting for her life.

Looking for a way to reach out to others Meaghan started a blog called I Kicked Cancers Ass where she wrote openly and honestly about her experience. Many began to find her on her blog and were able to receive answers as well as comfort. Realizing she was helping others began a healing process of her own. Wanting to make more of a difference she thought hard about what else she could do. Finally the answer came. Remembering the cards and gifts she received and how they lifted her spirits during a desperate time, Meaghan decided to match those who wished to give with those who needed support. Thus began SPIRIT JUMP.

The Spirit Jump Mission

Spirit Jump is a grassroots non-profit organization with a mission to provide hope and comfort to the many men, women and children battling cancer. Spirit Jump accomplishes this by providing uplifting cards and inspirational gifts during this most difficult time.

TO HEAR A FULL INTERVIEW ABOUT SPIRIT JUMP & MEAGHAN'S PERSONAL BATTLE WITH 3B CERVICAL CANCER PLEASE CLICK HERE

get jumped! be a Spirit Jumper recipient

2008-12-18T20:30:00.003-08:00

If you need spirit jump please send an email to needaspiritjump@spiritjump.com
with your full name and address.

jump someone! be a Spirit Jumper

2008-12-18T20:30:00.001-08:00

IF YOU WANT TO JUMP SOMEONES SPIRIT PLEASE EMAIL: spiritjumper@spiritjump.com

THIS PAGE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS.

DONATION PHOTOS

2008-12-18T20:27:00.001-08:00

Donated by: Serendipity Factory

Donated by: Maygreen-Fairies

Donated By: Dina Tibbs

Donated By: Sacha Brady

Created & Donated By: Noradora

Donated by: Carol & Hot Wax Art

Donated By: Kristen's Custom Creations

Donated by: Curly Q Cuties!

Donated By: Silver Sachet

Easter Soap Basket Donated by: DaisyCakesSoap

DONATED BY: Marie Maglaque
Singapore
http://satinetsoie.blogspot.com/

DONATED BY: Barbara Plyler
http://www.cbcrafts.etsy.com/

DONATED BY: Noreen Farrington

http://www.noradoramora.etsy.com

DONATED BY: Michelle Kolachi
www.kolachishop.com

DONATED BY: Barbara Plyler
http://www.cbcrafts.etsy.com/

DONATED BY: Marie Maglaque
Singapore
http://satinetsoie.blogspot.com/

DONATED BY: Noreen Farrington

http://www.noradoramora.etsy.com

DONATED BY: Jean-Marie
http://daisycakessoap.etsy.com/
Jellybean Soap

DONATED BY: Jean-Marie
http://daisycakessoap.etsy.com/
Hockey Puck Soap

Hand-Made Pendants Donated by: Erin at Bits of Flair

Donated By: Dana Marie's Art

Hand-Made Pink Ribbon Angel Charms Donated By: Pat from The AngelPatch

Hand-Made Art Donated by: Frannie's Heart

Hand-Made Cards Donated by: Cards By Amy's Angels

Hand Made Cards by: UrbanDebris Artlog

Care Package Donated by: Eye Kandy Glassware & Gifts

Journal Donated by: CBCrafts

Hand-Made Crocheted Hat Donated by: Noradora

Donated by: Tabitha DeGruy

Hand-Made Breast Cancer Awareness Necklace

and Cell Phone Dangler

Donated by: Jewelry By Janine

Donated by: Constance Deeney

Donated by: Just Add Cake

Donated By: Sauk Mountain Lavender Farm

Donated By: Tara's TieUps

Donated By: Silver Dot Jewelry

Donated By: Crafty Moose

Donated By: Silver Dot Jewelry

Painting Created & Donated By: Tracy Griffin

contact info

2008-12-18T20:26:00.001-08:00

Spirit Jump
2121 W. Woolbright Rd. K-101
Boynton Beach, FL 33426

561-755-2595

Email: spiritjumper@spiritjump.com
Twitter: @spiritjump
Facebook/spiritjump

Contact Founder Meaghan Edelstein:

Email: meaghan@spiritjump.com

Twitter: @cancerlost

Facebook.com/megse5

Contact Director Bryan Power

Email: Bryan@spiritjump.com

Twitter: @Thelifeofpower

Contact Volunteer Lillie Hobson

Email: Volunteer@spiritjump.com

Twitter: @lilliJ

PHOTOS OF SPIRIT JUMP GIFTS

2008-12-18T12:01:00.000-08:00

JOIN A COMMITTEE

Spirit Jump is currently looking to fill some important committees. If you think any of these are a good match for you please email meaghan@spiritjump.com and we will get you more information.

Planned Giving Committee: works with donors to help them make their charitable giving more effective, meaningful and enjoyable. Helps Spirit Jump plan fundraiser events that bring in donations as well as create awareness. We are looking for people who are creative, energetic and motivated to help Spirit Jump grow.

Other Committees: We are currently looking to set up several committees and are looking for people with the following backgrounds

-Public Relations experience

-Financial background i.e. accounting & money management

- Photography and video

-Social Media

-Nonprofit legal expertise

-Oncologists & Nurses

-Writers

-Interns

-Fundraising

-Marketing

-Any type of nonprofit background

VOTE SPIRIT JUMP

Currently Spirit Jump is attempting to be nominated for #nonprofit in the Shorty Awards. The five nonprofits to get the most votes will be considered for excellence over the past year. The awards recognize each content creator's entire body of work, not just an individual tweet. Nominations are made by sending a tweet.

In February, the nominees will be narrowed down to five finalists in each category. Winners will be determined by a combination of popular vote and by the members of the new Real-Time Academy of Short Form Arts & Sciences. An awards ceremony, complete with 140-character acceptance speeches, will be held in March in New York City.

You can only nominate Spirit Jump 1 time and here is how to do it:

Tweet the following from your Twitter account:

I nominate @Spiritjump for a Shorty Award in #nonprofit because... (add reason here)

The more votes Spirit Jump receives the more recognition we will get and that means helping more cancer fighters!

SEND A CARD OR SMALL GIFT

Below are photos of some of the wonderful items that have been donated through the Spirit Jump program. We want to remind all of you that although you may find some of these items to be more extravagant the magic of Spirit Jump is that NO gift is too small. A small card provides a big Jump to those in need. We encourage(not mandatory) you to provide us with a picture of any Spirit Jumps you send so that we may share it here.

Made & Donated By: Self Symmetry

Made & Donated By : payledragon.etsy.com

Tic Tac Toe Game Made & Donated By Stephanie at Two Kazoos

Made & Donated by payledragon.etsy.com

Made & Donated By Wendie's Art & Photo

Made & Donated By: Nana's Box

Made & Donated By Lagomorph

Made & Donated By: Chasing My Star

Donated By BK Designs

Made & Donated by payledragon.etsy.com

Donated By Anonymous

Donated By Wendie's Art & Photo

Made & Donated by DK Designs

donated by BK Designs

Made and Donated By: Lilly Cats

Made & Donated By: Windrose Fiber Studio

Donated By: BK Designs

Cards Donated By Card Cycle

Donated By @caroltweets

Donated By Mandy

Donated By Debra

Donated By Constance

Donated & Made By: Chasing My Star

Donated By Tabitha @ I Choose Bliss

DONATED BY: Barbara Plyler

Hand Painted & Donated By: Dana Marie Art

Donated & Made By: @SunnyBuns

Donated by BK Designs

Donated by BK Designs

Donated by BK Designs

Donated by BK Designs

Donated By Carol

Donated By @Whipoorwill

Donated By: Hot Wax Art & Crafts

Charm Donated By: Self Symmetry

"Jo's Blankie" Created & Donated by: SunFrog Originals

Made & Donated by He Calls Her Lemon Pie

Created & Donated By Charms of Light

Created & Donated By Wendy

Created & Donated By Kristen of Kristen's Custom Creations

Created & Donated By Sarah at: The Cottage Garden Studio

Hand-Made Felt Items Created & Donated By: Karen's Felt Works

Hopes & Dreams Necklace Donated By: Jennifer at Wind Rose Fiber Studio

DONATED BY: Kat from Self Symmetry

DONATED BY: Marie Maglaque

Misc. Soaps Donated by: Carol & Hot Wax Art

Donated By: Silver Dot Jewelry

Donated by: Carol & Hot Wax Art

Donated By: DLK Designs

Donated by: Serendipity Factory

Donated by: Maygreen-Fairies

Donated by: Krissy from Thinking-of-Blue

Donated By: Dina Tibbs

Donated By: Sacha Brady

Created & Donated By: Noradora

Donated by: Curly Q Cuties!

Donated By: Silver Sachet

DONATED BY: Noreen Farrington
http://www.noradoramora.etsy.com

DONATED BY: Michelle Kolachi
www.kolachishop.com

DONATED BY: Noreen Farrington

http://www.noradoramora.etsy.com/

Hand-Made Pendants Donated by: Erin at Bits of Flair

Hand-Made Pink Ribbon Angel Charms

Donated By: Pat from The AngelPatch

Hand-Made Art Donated by: Frannie's Heart

Hand-Made Cards Donated by: Cards By Amy's Angels

Hand Made Cards by: UrbanDebris Artlog

Care Package Donated by: Eye Kandy Glassware & Gifts

Journal Donated by: CBCrafts

Hand-Made Crocheted Hat Donated by: Noradora

Donated by: Tabitha DeGruy

Hand-Made Breast Cancer Awareness Necklace

and Cell Phone Dangler

Donated by: Jewelry By Janine

Donated by: Constance Deeney

Donated By: Sauk Mountain Lavender Farm

Donated By: Tara's TieUps

Donated By: Crafty Moose

Painting Created & Donated By: Tracy Griffin

Join Spirit Jump

2008-06-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

~Becoming A Jumper~

If you decide to be a Spirit Jumper you will be overwhelmed with the joy and warmth you feel when giving a gift. Additionally, every Spirit Jumper's blog or website is listed on our website along with their shop and/or blog. If you do have a shop and would like to offer a discount we will list that as well. To see our list of Jumpers CLICK HERE.

~How To Become A Jumper~
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

1- You request to be a Jumper by entering your email address in the button to the right. Upon hitting the Join button you will be asked a few questions.

2- Soon after you register you will receive a welcome email which you should save for future reference. This email will give you specific instructions on how to participate in Spirit Jump.

3- We add any shop/website/blog you may have to the jumper directory.

4- You will receive a welcome email from Spirit Jump shortly after you register.

5- If you would prefer to just donate an item/s without being added to our mailing list you can send items to Spirit Jump at 2121 W. Woolbright Rd K-101, Boynton Beach, FL, 33426. We will then forward those items on your behalf to various people who are in need of Spirit Jumps.

6- If you would like to make a monetary donation you can do so here:

WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER BECOMING A SPIRIT JUMPER

You Will Get an Email From Spirit Jump:

1-When we receive the name of a person who is battling cancer and needs a SJ we send out an email to the Spirit Jumper's.

2-The email goes to each person individually and not as a group. This assures that your email address is always protected and never compromised.

3-In the email you receive we will share a little about the person/people in need. Things like, name, age, type of cancer and sometimes a little about the person likes. Whatever they authorize us to share.

4- If you would like, and are able to, give that person a Jump you simply reply to our email letting us know you want to jump the persons spirits.

5-After getting your email we will reply by sending the mailing address to you.

6- Next you send the card/gift to the address we provided you with. If you could also send a quick email letting us know you did send something we would appreciate it.

7-If you would like to send us a picture of what you sent we would be happy to put it on the Spirit Jump website with a link to your shop/blog/website, if you have one. However, this is not necessary so please do not feel obligated to do so.

8-NEVER FEEL OBLIGATED TO REPLY TO OUR REQUESTS FOR JUMPERS! We keep track of who get jumps and make sure each person gets plenty. This way you do not have to feel "guilty" or worry that the person isn't getting something to lift their spirits. We only want you to send Jumps when you can.

9-NOTHING IS TOO BIG OR SMALL! You can send a simple handmade or store bought card, a book, blanket, movie.....whatever you would like.

10- Many people mention that they are not “crafty” please do not let that discourage you from participating. If you are looking for something to purchase please consider visiting one of the many Spirit Jumpers shops listed on our website under “Jumpers”. There are many shops who offer discounts (listed under "Shops Offering A Discount") as well as numerous other shops. Please keep in mind that each shop listed under "Jumpers" are all Spirit Jumpers as well.

After You Send a Spirit Jump:

1-This is a one time thing, you are not "adopting" the person in need. This is what makes us a little different from the other cancer charities out there that send gifts.

2- You can send one gift or if you want you can send a gift each week. Its really up to you.

3-When we receive updates on the people who have received jumps we will either email you or post it on www.spiritjump.com

4- You do not have to send the gift/card immediately. Take your time and never feel rushed. A spirit jump works no matter what day it is.