Jill

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - Twice a year, Vera Bradley throws a party. They invite all of their friends to attend, and it is everything you would think it would be. It's more fun than you can imagine, the food is spectacular and you learn all about our product and designs. You also actually get to meet the co-founders. In person. And they are delightful, in case you were wondering. :) 

I always get to share my own personal story, and that of the incredible Foundation that Barb and Pat started nearly two decades ago (the Foundation part is astonishing to me; you do know that $20 million have been pledged to cancer research, right?).

Much like every other gathering, I met many new cancer patients and survivors, and reunited with ladies who have been social media buddies for years now. It's always a great time. 

This time; however, I received something entirely unexpected. I received a message that said someone had made a small video of me as I was speaking. Her goal was to show it to her dear friend who was struggling on her journey with cancer. I spoke on April 14th, and tried to impress upon everyone how much we need to help one another. Just take care of people who struggle with this disease, I begged.  

Jill, my online friend, did just that. She supported her friend, thought about her and took back encouraging words of solace. 

Jill's friend passed away on the 19th. It was, and will always be, a poignant story for me. All of our words matter, dear friends. I will forever be reminded of that fact as I remember Jill. 

I'm so sorry for your loss, Jill. But I am eternally grateful for that amazing act of kindness. You have allowed my entire Vera Bradley family to be included in the most precious time, and we are all humbled by your gesture. 

- heidi

Support

FORT WAYNE, INDIANA - I always assume I will meet cancer patients with amazing stories wherever I go. I'm never disappointed.)

Today's story comes from the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale. Pictured behind these lovely ladies is a one-of-a-kind quilt created with Vera Bradley's Tea Garden pattern; I was there admiring the workmanship of that stunning quilt when I saw the lady with the hat.

She had taken it off in an out of the way location, clearly to be discreet. And me being, well ... me, I walked right over and said: "I totally understand. Nothing worse than how hot you get during chemo. Then to have to wear hats; makes it even worse!"

She laughed, took the hat off with a bold flourish an we had a great conversation. Her daughter, pictured to her right, decided that her mama would NOT go through this alone. She has shaved her head in solidarity during her mama's journey.

Now I'm off to Las Vegas for the "A Colorful Day". Can't wait to tell you who I meet there!

Dolly

CAMP HILL, PENNSYLVANIA - I’ve just finished speaking at Kathies Christmas store (have you ever been to that place? Stunning. I highly recommend. Ok, back to the story…) and Dolly comes over to me. She hugs me – I have to bend way over as she is not 6’ tall and I decided to wear heels. Not my smartest move. She whispers in my ear: "I have fallen in love with you. And since your mama has passed, you can be a part of my family now." Now THAT is the way to greet someone, let me tell you.

We then spent the better part of the next hour visiting, hugging, crying and showing each other photos of our new extended families. Dolly is a survivor, a sweetie and a huge Vera Bradley fan. Her daughters are kind, successful and generous (and now I'll call them sisters). 

Dolly is one of the reasons it is worth it for me to do what I do. I meet people who need to know that they aren’t alone. That there is hope, a connection, camaraderie. That there are companies like mine that don’t just slather everything in pink and pretend that it might help – they focus their giving on a specific issue and then just work like crazy to make a change for all of us. 

Here is to you, my Dolly. It was nice to meet you, and I hope to see you again next year. I do think, however, that our hearts have known each other for quite a long time.  xoxo

Honeysuckle

WORLDWIDE - Since I have been working at Vera Bradley, I have been tuned in to color. It has been a wonderful addition to my formerly monochromatic world and wardrobe. Every year, the fashion world convenes to determine what is the next hot color. I am happy to announce that 2011 is the year of hot pink.

For those of us in the breast cancer community, I think I speak for us all when I say this, “Hey world, embrace your pink! And please, pretty please, give just a wee little bit of the proceeds to cancer research. Thank you!”

Laugh It Off

FORT WAYNE, INDIANA - It’s been a long week, and it’s not even over yet. I think when I travel, the work week that follows a weekend trip just wipes.me.out. So end of day on Thursday, I get a call I just have to share with you. I could have gone one of two ways with this; overreact and get angry or just laugh it off. I, as is my new pledge, opted for the latter.

Me: Vera Bradley Foundation, this is Heidi! (Smile, because they can tell if you are smiling or not. Really.)

Darling Caller: Oh, man. Really? Foundation? Are you just Breast Cancer, did I call the Breast Cancer?

Me: Yes, ma’am, I guess I, in fact, am just the Breast Cancer. (Ok, now really smiling because this is hysterical. How often are you identified as a disease and nothing else?)

Darling Caller: Do you know how to transfer me? I don’t want Breast Cancer. (Not just smiling now, trying not to choke with laughter. I DON’T WANT BREAST CANCER EITHER, SISTER, AND YET HERE I AM! And do I know how to transfer? Quite some time ago I mastered the manual dexterity thing, but shoot yea, let’s give the old button-pushing a whirl and see if I can actually handle it!)

So there you have it, my afternoon. This follows 4 straight days of new cancer patient/friends in the waiting, one close scare with a sweet friend (good news, Sarah is ok!) and my endless pursuit of research dollars. This poor caller probably had a pretty rough day herself, and was obviously in a big hurry. I needed a little lift, and she provided it and isn’t even aware. Thank you, darling caller. I hope the Heidi you were looking for and had a good rest of the day. And I don’t want you to get Breast Cancer, either. :)

Girlie Bikes

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - Hi, I’m really it, just darling, stamina aplenty, fear nothing, and oh yea, I’m extremely photogenic. Ok, that’s not what the gals from Team Vera Bradley Foundation said when they met me, but they might as well have. These are professional racers, and they hail from across the planet. Australia, South Africa, Israel, Canada and of course the good ‘ole USA are represented on this team. They have embraced the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer as a cause they want to promote this year, and we are extremely thankful. Who better to be the face of our future? Strong and healthy, brave and confident. They are tackling some big roads, some high hills. They are doing this for us this year, fellow survivors. They are doing it with big smiles and hopeful hearts. As they begin their racing season, I hope to be able to personally introduce them to as many of you as I possibly can. What they are doing can not be measured - in terms of the awareness they are raising - but it will most certainly help us all. Girlie girls, with big mean bikes. :)

Much Ado About Color

This past week, ladies on facebook were asked to post just one word that would describe the color of their undergarments. This was ostensibly to raise awareness for breast cancer – but there wasn’t a call to action or anything, so people were just left wondering what it was about.It was also supposed to be a ‘secret’ from the men out there, but there are 65 million fb users, keeping a secret from half of them would be quite the feat indeed.There has been backlash, surprisingly. Some said that this was unladylike and offensive. Others were upset that there was no end objective, and therefore a pointless excursion. From my own perspective, here’s what I saw happen. “Breast Cancer” became a trending topic on twitter to explain what was happening on facebook. Komen’s fb page jumped tens of thousands of fans in mere days. People were adding to the one-word color dialog by saying things like ‘I lost mom to bcancer’ or ‘im a survivor!’. Our own Vera Bradley Foundation received many messages on twitter. Did the increased activity result in any donations? I don’t know, I don’t have the inside track to all foundations - but I can tell you this: Millions of people thought about breast cancer, even if for just a moment. Maybe some remembered, maybe some were moved, maybe some decided to participate somehow. Sure it was silly, a crazy fluke thing, not going to change any lives. But it was a fun thing to see so many people talking about this disease without looking at the calendar and seeing OCTOBER on it. :)

Eda and Ralph

BURLINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA - I work with people every day who are planning fundraisers to benefit the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer. I’m not exaggerating, you can check with my husband; I get calls on weekends about these things. I do so happily, for the record. I know that every dollar we raise will be another step to a cure. Back to the story!!! So the people I chat with typically do one event annually – things like luncheons, tennis tournaments, dinners, etc. Take a look at Eda and Ralph up there. They decided that one event just simply wouldn’t do. They planned a full week's worth of events, each one would knock the wind out of lesser mortals. They enlisted family and friends to be volunteers and have pulled off the biggest grouping of events the VB Foundation has ever seen (including the transformation of a hospital dining room into a 5-star restaurant). Eda and Ralph, I love you. I salute you. I thank you. Most of all, I envy your energy. You make me tired just lookin’ at you. :)

Teach Your Children Well

MARBLEHEAD, MASSACHUSETTS - How do you teach people who are young the value of a charitable act? When the wee ones are just barely big enough to take a desired toy away from a playmate, and we start by teaching them that they shouldn’t. Generosity, kindness, compassion; what difficult concepts! I think they are totally comprehensible if you start early enough. My boss, friend and personal hero, Vera Bradley co-founder Barbara Bradley Baekgaard has a great idea that I encourage all of you to use. When she gives her grandchildren (and there are myriad!) gifts for holidays, birthdays, etc, the monetary gift comes with one clear directive; you must give 10% to the charity of your choice. It is up to that child who will get the gift, be it a person on the street asking for change, or the local Alzheimer’s foundation. They all send her thank you notes and indicate where they decided to spend their 10%. The note above is from young Mr. Byrne, age 5. He has decided to make the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer his charity this year. Thank you, sweet Mr. Byrne, for your donation. Thank you to his ‘Birdie’ as well, for teaching yet another generation of your family how to give with an open heart and a hopeful gaze to the future.

Donations of the Heart

FORT WAYNE, INDIANA - So the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer now has a finance wiz focused on the money stuff. Yay, Deb! She’s really cute, works hard, is incredibly smart and wears great shoes. All the important qualifications one needs for such a profession. Or so I thought, when I first met her. I learned in short order that Deb lost her mom to cancer, just like me, and that she shares my passion. We want to find a cure for this disease, and fast. For those of you that think you have to devote every waking moment to make a difference, think again. Foundations, non-profits, churches, all of us need help in ways that won’t consume all of your time or all of your dollars. Deb gives every day every time she helps us wade through the world of non-profit finance. So take a look at your work and realize that if your company does anything for a charity you are part of that generosity. Today matters; even if you don’t get to see some great miracle by the time 5 o’clock rolls around, you might have still changed a life. Ask your company who they help if you are unsure! Thank you, Deb, for doing what you do. We love you.

“Quamtotius”

WARSAW, INDIANA - We are all, we are total, we are complete. We cancer warriors may have had bits and pieces of us removed, medicated or radiated, but we are still whole people. We are varied; there is not a segment of society that hasn't been touched by cancer, not a race, not a religion, not a height nor weight group that doesn’t wear our badge. We are all totally different and yet have so much in common. Here are my unique bits: I myself like hockey. A lot. Chicago Blackhawks, thank you very much. (Check out my Blackhawks sweater.) I am a mommy and think my children have flawless hearts and souls. I am a wife, and think my husband deserves more than I can ever give him. I am a daughter, and while I have a 'bucket list', I am sad to think that my mom never got to finish her own list. I am an American, and have voted for all major parties. I am an employee, and have fierce loyalty to Vera Bradley because they are American dreamers that actually included compassion in their dreams. I am a Christian, and in honor of that I try to love everyone. You may not be any of those things, but still you have cancer in your life. Doesn’t that just bind us all the more to one another?

So this is me, and I am the cancer everyman. We don’t just wear hospital gowns; so keep in mind that when you sit next to someone on the train, at church, at the ice rink, in the restaurant, in the theatre, at the game. We own the local pottery studio, work at the local insurance company, the local car wash, and in the cubical just down from yours. Thank you, to those that donate to help one or all of us. =We can't all say thank you, but I know we all wish we could!

A Girl's Best Friend

WARSAW, INDIANA - The company for whom I work, Vera Bradley, likes to be a 'Girl's Best Friend', and those of us that love them know they sure are! This weekend, I met a young lady who sets a beautiful example that we can all follow. When she was 11 years old she and her best friend did everything that 6th grade girls do. They hung out nearly every day, ran to each other's houses, etc. (They lived 27 seconds away from each other.) One day when her friend came to school, she was very upset; her mother had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. This was the first time she had encountered breast cancer, and they were both scared. At 11 years of age, all they knew was that it was extremely scary and dire. So for the next several months, she stayed by the side of her friend. She was there for her friend, and for her friends mom as much as anyone could be; comforting without knowing what this terrible disease really was. Now, years later, she still keeps in touch with this dear friend. Her friend's mom is in remission and is a strong survivor. This young lady is now a magnificent athlete and a beautiful ice dancer. She dedicated her time last weekend – in between tests for school, mind you – for a breast cancer event in Ohio. Thank you, Emily, for being such a compassionate and philanthropic person. You are the total personification of a ‘Girl's Best Friend’!

Urban Ava

TIPP CITY, OHIO - This beautiful sassy little thing is my friend, Ava. Urban Ava, to be specific. Her mama opened this darling little shop downtown and named it after her – who can blame her, she’s totally irresistible. I had the honor of meeting Ava’s mama, Kelley, a few years ago at a Vera Bradley event and we were immediately friends. She is such a compassionate and kind lady, and has really embraced this cause as her own. It’s hard for me to listen to her as she talks about it; she’s so moving it makes me cry. In her restaurant today, I had the honor of meeting many wonderful breast cancer warriors (including one wonderful gentleman, he’ll get his own post later) AND got to have a fun snack with my sweet Ava as well. Thank you, Kelley, for caring so much about those of us fighting this battle. I highly recommend you all visit Urban Ava’s store the next time you find yourself in Tipp City!

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