Sarah Ellery, Author at My Hope Bag Archive

Hope Sister Corner: Meet Carolyn McClendon

By Carolyn McClendon

Before my Hope Sister journey started, I was diagnosed at the end of December 2016 with Invasive Ductal carcinoma in situ in my left breast, ER+, PR+, HER2-, Grade 2. I had a lumpectomy, followed by radiation, and was on an Aromatase Inhibitor for 5 years.

I have been with My Hope Bag since around October 2021. My goal was to be able to help support women on their cancer journey, who may not have anyone else they can turn to for support. And show them that they, like me, can be a survivor. During this time, I have delivered 55 bags.

The best part of being a Hope Sister is getting to know so many wonderful women and being someone they can reach out to during their cancer journey. It is also becoming friends with other Hope Sisters.

This is an incredible opportunity to give back and help others with what I have already been through and survived. It’s a real “feel-good” experience!

Stay tuned for more stories from our wonderful Hope Sisters, who volunteer and deliver hope and support to the women they deliver bags to.

October Was Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Thank you to everyone who participated in making October 2024, breast cancer awareness month, a very memorable month of getting together with other survivors, attending events to honor them, and increasing donations to keep My Hope Bag serving those with breast cancer. The wonderful people who set up fundraisers for My Hope Bag are listed below.

Please enjoy reading about these selfless organizations.

Texas Roadhouse – Owner James Bleil and Local Store Marketer Cassie Hamilton welcomed My Hope Bag with open arms. They decorated a tree with pink ornaments and informed their guests how they could contribute to My Hope Bag’s service to breast cancer patients with their donations. They raised $3195 for My Hope Bag and presented it as $50 gift cards for My Hope Bag to present to women going through their breast cancer journey.

Mesa Police Department—During the month of October, the Mesa Police Department sold various commemorative items for their Pink Patch Project, and the profits from those items were donated to My Hope Bag. Various pink police items also contributed to profits. Assistant Chief Ed Wessing, Mesa Police Department, presented My Hope Bag with a check for $4630.87 so My Hope Bag can continue to fill tote bags with items each new warrior will need during their breast cancer journey.

Nuvei Scottsdale – Lori Barbarotto and employees of Nuvei Scottsdale held a bake sale and raised $787 to donate to My Hope Bag. It looks like they had fun selling all those yummy desserts. I told them if they do a bake sale again, we would love to come and help them sell. Who can resist women in pink??

Phillips Law Group—Thank you, Phillips Law Group, for donating $2375 from their “On Wednesdays, We Wear Pink” campaign throughout the year. We enjoy seeing the employees donning pink on Wednesdays and knowing that for each one who does, Phillips donates to My Hope Bag. It’s really a fun campaign.

Bikers for Boobies – To this wonderful organization, we thank you for your donation of $3000. We were honored to receive this donation from your October 2023 Motorcycle Run.

Thank you all for your support and for supporting breast cancer awareness!!

Hope Sisters Share Hope

If you received a bag from My Hope Bag, it was likely delivered by the lovely women we affectionately refer to as Hope Sisters. These ladies train to share hope and wisdom with warriors recently diagnosed with breast cancer. They spend time with the bag recipient and let them share their experiences. The Hope Sister can give hope through her own experience, the items in the bag, and the resource guide that former recipients were able to combine abilities to produce, which is a part of the bag.

My Hope Bag currently has three Hope Sister Coordinators. We cover the East Valley, North and Central Valley, and the West Valley. If you are interested in learning more about this special program, including training to become a Hope Sister, please contact sarah@myhopebag.org or info@myhopebag.org.

From Cancer Journey to East Valley Hope Sister Coordinator

“When I was going through my cancer journey, I requested a Hope bag. A Hope Sister, who was also a breast cancer survivor, visited me and delivered my bag. It was so encouraging to share with her because she knew exactly what I was going through. I knew when she left that when my journey was finally over, I wanted to serve others the way she served and encouraged me. I have been the East Valley Hope Sister Coordinator for two years and have loved encouraging and loving others experiencing their breast cancer journey.”

If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer and or want to hear more about My Hope Bag’s Hope Sister program, please email info@myhopebag.org for more information.

Bingo For Boobies, 2024

On April 26, 2024, everyone had a great time at Bingo for Boobies. Two sessions allowed more people to participate. Everyone intensely watched their Bingo card while listening carefully for the letter and number they were waiting for. Then, without warning, the room lit up with “BINGO”! It was so exciting!

Many prizes were won, which added to the buzz in the room. The two 50/50 raffles were generously donated back to My Hope Bag for its Benevolence Fund, aiding with the expenses of breast cancer patients during treatment. Watch for the TWO dates in 2025 when My Hope Bag will once again hold its Bingo for Boobies.

West Valley Hope Sisters

My Hope Bag’s main program is the Hope Sister program and has expanded to the West Valley. This is a group of ladies who, after training, deliver the bags to breast cancer warriors. This is a one-on-one visit at the warrior’s home or a public place. The warrior is allowed to share her journey, and the Hope Sister, most likely a survivor herself, will listen and answer questions as she can. The Hope Sister presents the bag that is mostly handmade comfort items, and will then assess the level of service My Hope Bag can provide.

From its inception, My Hope Bag has covered the East Valley and Central Phoenix. As the need began to rise, My Hope Bag expanded to the West Valley. We want to encourage more Hope Sisters to serve in the West Valley. If you are a breast cancer survivor, or a current or former caregiver, and would like to serve in our West Valley Hope Sister program, please contact info@myhopebag.org. We are also interested in a Coordinator for that area. We would love to share more with you about this program.

Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) Day

By Linda Vuolo

October 18, 2023

This event was very helpful and educational. Banner MD Anderson provided space for several Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) related vendors to set up their information and share with visitors who ranged from patients and supporters to medical staff. They also shared information from some of their physicians, as well as physical therapists, and patient testimonials. Our own Linda Vuolo shared her reconstruction experience at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center (BMDACC). Though non-technical, Linda’s advice is a culmination of her experience through her breast cancer/reconstruction journey. Always gather as much information as possible before making a decision about treatment. Here is her testimonial.

My name is Linda Vuolo. Thank you for allowing me to tell my story and the four lessons that I learned. September 25, 2019 – That is when I heard the words ‘You have breast cancer’. Wait what? Me?

At that moment, the conveyor belt of treatment began, and I didn’t know how to stop it.
What now? Check with Dr. Google? Oh no, BADDDDD idea. It made me think that I was not going to last through the night. I didn’t even know what I was looking up!

Lesson 1: Don’t Check Dr. Google!!

You can check reputable breast cancer sites when you know what you are looking for, but no aimless scrolling.
I had one biopsy and was diagnosed with DCIS in the left breast. The plan was for a lumpectomy and radiation or chemotherapy.

However, an eagle-eyed doctor on the MD Anderson breast team suggested that I be rechecked at the Banner Imaging Center.
I was sitting in a dark room with my husband and Dr. Johnston, looking at my mammogram images.
The ONLY sentence I remember was Dr. Johnston saying, ‘We need to do a biopsy in another area. This is the difference between a lumpectomy and a mastectomy.’ WHAT?
Sure enough, there was another area in the same breast with IDC, so I needed to have a mastectomy.
I could not have done this without leaning heavily on my loving husband Gregg. I hardly remember anything about that day.

Lesson 2: If you can, have someone with you to listen and HEAR what is being said and to take notes

The conveyor belt was now going full steam ahead:
The conveyor belt doctors say:

When you have to have a mastectomy, this is what we do…

Remove your breast
Put in an expander (the worst invention, ever)
Then plop in an implant and you’re good to go

I consider myself a reasonably intelligent woman, but I could not function…I tried Dr. Google again, but I still didn’t understand what was happening. I thought, surely these doctors (not at MD Anderson) knew what they were doing.
BTW, my cancer came at a bad time, as BMDACC did not have a fully staffed plastic surgery department, so I was sent to an outside surgeon.
This plastic surgeon said he would answer any of my questions, but I didn’t even know what questions to ask.
I told him that I saw something online about using my own tissue…he said I was not a candidate for that type of surgery. Really, have you looked at me? I have been saving up this tissue all my life!!
- What he meant to say was ‘I am not a qualified microsurgeon, which is what was needed to perform this delicate procedure’.
I did not know that I had a choice of staying flat, doing flap surgery, or PAUSING until I understood what was happening to me.
I heard: ‘If you want to pursue any other options, we will have to stop the conveyor belt and take you offline.’
Thinking I was making a choice about my survival, I hopped on the conveyor belt even though my GUT was telling me that there was something wrong here.
After the expander was placed and I had my first fill (I still did not understand what was happening), they scheduled the replacement surgery 90 days after my mastectomy. Really, you know that I will be ready?
- Yes, that is the way we do it. We will do a reduction and lift on the healthy breast, then you can go on with your life as a survivor.

Needless to say, the conveyor belt won.

After the exchange surgery (replacing the expander with the implant), I felt like a freak. The implant was tooooo big and the reduction of my non-cancerous breast was too aggressive and therefore too small.
The doctor’s office notes that I had access to said “Patient expected perfection”.
I never went back to him.

Lesson 3: LISTEN TO YOUR GUT. If you don’t have a good feeling or feel you and the doctor are not a good match, MOVE ON. There are plenty of other qualified surgeons to choose from. It was bad enough having cancer, but I was sooo depressed and felt disfigured.

Enter Dr. Michael Miller at BMDACC. He had just arrived to start building his plastics team.

I tearfully shared my saga, and he said, ‘I can fix you’. Woohoo!! More tears…this time of joy!
Miller told me that he could do a flap surgery on me and would use an implant on my natural breast to get them more even.
He walked me through every detail about how it would go, and explained that I would need several surgeries, but he would only stop when I was happy and satisfied.

Lesson 4: Don’t stop until you’re satisfied. There are many qualified surgeons out there who do not subscribe to the conveyor belt methodology.

Miller has assembled a strong team of surgeons and support staff who are dedicated to listening to and supporting their patients. In fact, I would say the same for all the staff I have encountered at BMDACC.
I feel that they saved my life…not only physically, but from the deep depression I was feeling.

So, let’s review:

Lesson 1: Do not use Dr. Google
Lesson 2: Keep a loved one at your side
Lesson 3: Listen to your gut … you have good instincts
Lesson 4: Don’t stop until you are satisfied

Take a breath…ugly cry when you need to let it out, then pull up your big girl panties and take control of your treatment.

You CAN do this.

Thank you for listening to my story.

Daimler Truck North America Supports My Hope Bag

September 24, 2023

Daimler Truck NA holds a charity event/dinner as part of their Annual Parts Conference. This year, Daimler Truck chose to support My Hope Bag as the honored charity. Daimler’s Sandra Todd told My Hope Bag, “I selected your charity because I love that you put together a Hope Bag for those who are going through breast cancer. I think it’s amazing that the people who deliver the bags are also breast cancer survivors or caregivers who understand what the person is going through. I love everything about what you are doing to help those through an extremely tough time in their life.”

Sandra continued, “As we are ending the month of September and going into the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness month in October, I thought what better way to end the month than to share your organization with our event to help kick off the next month! My company would like to make a $10,000 donation for My Hope Bag.” Other donations during the evening totaled $ 1,300. Thank you, Daimler, for your generosity.

My Hope Bag shared a little about how it helps men and women with breast cancer. Having a predominantly male audience allowed us to encourage men to have an annual breast cancer checkup, as well as women. It was great to share that information with over 400 people at the event. If you want more information about men’s breast cancer, please contact info@myhopebag.org. Thank you, Daimler Truck NA!

Breast Cancer Resource Expo

September 30, 2023

After three years of not holding the Breast Cancer Resource Expo due to COVID-19, My Hope Bag happily gathered together and held the Breast Cancer Resource Expo on September 30 in Chandler. There were 30 vendors who were able to reach out to breast cancer warriors and their families. Close to 200 guests walked through the hall and received much-desired information to help them through their breast cancer journey.

So many people joined our Village of Hope to make this a meaningful day for all. Officer Timothy Letson led the police department’s Cadet Post #2055, Shelby, Vanessa, Matthieu, Ryan, and Jacob who all happily served visitors attending the Expo as well as Officer Grit Caton. Nick Ciletti, Channel 15 news anchor, visited with the vendors and drew winners for the raffle prizes.