When you think of daffodils, what images come to mind? Rolling hills of a meadow covered in yellow, the fresh sweet scent of grass and clean air, the beauty of spring in the wilderness. That’s what some think of when they see a bouquet of daffodils. But then there are some like Debra Dickinson who think of patients battling cancer. Dickinson is a Registered Nurse who teaches in the Nursing Program at Antelope Valley College. She is also the representative for The American Cancer Society here at AVC.
In the past she worked on a cancer unit at a hospital for ten years, helping patients battle the devastating disease in various shapes and forms. “I worked with patients who had cancer in various stages, anywhere from being newly diagnosed to receiving their first chemotherapy, which I would give, or taking care of them after surgery” said Dickinson, which is a very stout record for any qualified representative to ask for donations. But Dickinson has recently developed a more personal attachment to her cause than anyone would want, when last year her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Currently she is asking for donations to help fund research into cures for various kinds of cancers. “I saw, in the twenty years that I worked at the hospital, […] big drives in the kind of care that we can provide cancer patients. Some of the cancer that I dealt with when I was starting out went from ninety percent fatal, to currently being ninety percent curable,” said Dickinson.
Without a doubt, exposure for cancer research has done a lot of good for those affected. The Daffodils for Cancer fundraiser is a state-wide affair to raise cancer awareness and give comfort to patients by sending them either a bouquet of daffodils, daffodils in a vase, or a teddy bear for children affected by the disease. Those who wish to donate can receive a bouquet of daffodils for $10, have them put in a glass Carafe for $20, or anonymously send a gift of flowers or a teddy bear to a cancer patient. All of the flowers will be delivered to the campus on March 22, 2011. Hurry! The fundraiser will end on Monday, February, 28.
For more information about Cancer, Cancer Research, or Donations visit The American Cancer Society on the web at www.cancer.org or follow the link bellow to be redirected to the Debra Dickinson’s page on the society’s site.
-by Josh Sanchez
