ABOUT
HOPE ORNAMENTS

Decorating my Christmas tree is what I look forward to every holiday season. As I hang every ornament, I remember the time in my life in which I received each one. A yearly ornament from Santa has been a family tradition my entire life. My tree is quickly filled with an array of ornaments that tell the story of my life. From Baby’s first Christmas, unicorns from when I was 6, Barbie ornaments, Chicago Bears ornaments and other various milestones in my life. The best part of Christmas morning is seeing what special ornament Santa has chosen for me that year. This special ornament goes on my Christmas tree that resides in my room, and it is always a representation of that current time in my life. Christmas has and always will be my favorite time of the year, because of the beauty and joy the season brings. It’s a time of year where we spend time and celebrate with our family and loved ones. 
 
This family tradition changed into something bigger the Christmas of 2007. With a Barbie ornament rested on the top of my purse after celebrating Christmas Eve with family, I stopped at UIC Children’s hospital to visit my friend’s 6 year-old daughter. She was spending her Christmas Eve in the hospital battling Leukemia. Her eyes quickly met that Barbie ornament resting in my purse, and I decided to let her hold my special gift. The magic of Christmas appeared before me as this little girl smiled. A beautiful smile that lit up the room. As she held my Barbie ornament, all I could notice was the smile on her face. It was as if the oxygen tubes, IV’s, heart monitors and bald scalp had vanished. It was at that moment I learned that a small token of the holiday could bring joy to this little girl who was stuck in the hospital fighting for her life, rather than waking up in her own bed Christmas morning. My heart knew the right thing to do, and I let her keep my gift from Santa. My gift to her may have changed her holiday spirit, but I was the one who received the biggest gift of all – learning the magic of holidays through memories of ornaments. 
 
A year later that little girl, whom was now in remission, wanted to spread the magic of ornaments to others as I had done for her a year before. This little girls response to my simple gesture is what sparked my mission to start HOPE Ornaments. That year her and I went back to UIC Children’s hospital and handed out 10 ornaments to other patients. Now 17 years later, we distribute between 8,000 – 10,000 ornaments to patients spending their holidays in the hospital or an assisted living center. An ornament is a small gift, but it sparks a memory that gives them a sense of home, a sense of happiness and gives them the hope to keep fighting. Our mission is to bring hope and joy of the holidays to all of those in the hospital and assisted living centers through the gift of a HOPE Ornament. 
 
Little did I know that just a few years later my life would take an unexpected turn, and I became disabled. I too would spend holidays fighting my own health complications. In the blink of an eye, my life forever changed. Thirteen years later – after many hospital stays, doctors, treatments and bumps in the road… we still don’t have answers. I have overcome challenges of passing out, neuropathy and permanent nerve damage to my lower legs, anemia, hearing loss, hypokalemia, high blood pressure and much more – I am still fighting every day. There are days I have wanted to throw in the towel and give up, but then I turn to my mission of HOPE Ornaments. The smiles and joy I have seen on thousands of patients over the years as they pick out a HOPE Ornament during the stay give me a purpose. Special moments in our life aren’t always just a memory, they are that spark of hope that gives us the courage to not give up and keep fighting. It gives us reason to remember that we are placed in every situation for a given reason, and that we have a purpose.