Crafting of any kind can be very therapeutic and an effective stress reliever. My friend, Andrea was diagnosed with thyroid cancer last year. Her treatment required that she spend 10 days in isolation while undergoing treatment. Needless to say, the thought of being away from her husband and children played heavily on her mind.
A few days after her initial treatment, Andrea was permitted to join other patients in the main wing that were undergoing the same treatment. The main wing housed a craft room to help the patients pass the time. Although Andrea never had much time for crafts before, she decided to venture into the craft room and make a birthday card for an upcoming birthday. For two hours, she diligently crafted the card using colored paper, sparkles, lace and decals that she found in the room. To her surprise, she discovered that creating the birthday card relaxed her mind and made her feel connected to her family even though she was missing them desperately. |
Each day she returned to the craft room and created a card for each of her children that she would give to them when she got home. Each card illustrated how much she loved and missed them. With the cards for her children completed, Andrea crafted a card for husband expressing her love and gratitude for him and how much she missed him. Next Andrea crafted cards for her parents and siblings thanking them for their love and support during this difficult time. After her ten days of isolation were over, Andrea was able to return home to family and proudly presented her cards of love to them.
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