Anne Jaeger
What a sight to see Nikolette Harris light up with the gift of fresh daffodils. And heaven knows this little Beaverton girl deserves them. So much of Nikolette’s world must be a complete mystery. There is no explaining why a 10 year old would have to fight cancer twice in such a short lifetime. A cancer we cannot prevent and at times cannot cure.
Nikolette doesn’t know who sent her these flowers. And instantly it jump starts her spirits “They have such bright colors.” Have you ever noticed that children living with a serious illness seem to have an uncanny ability to see things as they really are? Her next remark drives home the point “on a dark, gloomy day, daffodils are always so bright, yellow and sunny.” A simple pleasure on the bumpy road to recovery.
With our help, the American Cancer Society hopes to repeat this anonymous kindness for 3,000 other oncology patients in 13 Portland and Vancouver hospitals; just to cheer them on. Over the last decade or so, the daffodil has evolved from a symbol of spring and into a message of hope for cancer patients. And after having had cancer surgery, chemotherapy and radiation myself, I can’t think of a more touching way to tell a fighter that someone they don’t even know cares about them. Flowers are gifts from the universe.
This “Gift of Hope” bouquet given to Nikolette Harris and thousands of other people during the American Cancer Societies “Daffodil Days” doesn’t require much. With a minimum donation of $12 you can order the daffodils until Friday, March 5th. They’ll be delivered anonymously to cancer patients March 15-19th. The money goes to cancer research, education and programs to help patients. Or, if you’d like, there’s one more way you can give a more personal touch. You can also give a bunch of flowers to your friends, family or co-workers. The only difference is, the flowers will come directly from you and you deliver.
In the grand scheme of things, 15 million daffodils will go to cancer patients in Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Montana in that one week. As you’d imagine, it is no small feat to get 15 million daffodils blooming all at once. A grower in Mount Vernon, Washington is growing all 15 million as we speak. The folks at Washington Bulb are going into high gear now. President Leo Roozen says “When we start harvesting daffodils for… the American Cancer Society, our crews will cut up to one and a half million daffodil stems every day.” Not a moment wasted. And Roozen has the personal satisfaction of knowing his flowers will brighten the bedside of cancer patients in nearly every hospital in 4 states. Yes, the daffodils go different addresses but they get the same reaction everywhere. Darcie Haigwood of the American Cancer Society sees the same results every year “After a long, gray winter, nothing lifts the spirits more than the surprise of receiving a bouquet of daffodils.” And you’ve just met a little 10 year old girl who couldn’t agree more.
