For Colleen Anderson, Valentines Day is all about giving. And she doesn’t have just one sweetheart. She has hundreds. For the last four years, Colleen has given gift bags to people going through chemotherapy on Valentines Day. “I think the biggest accomplishment is knowing that someone going through cancer treatment might have a little light at the end of the tunnel, on at least one day of the year that they get this bag.” Colleen knows all too well about needing hope. In February 2002, she was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer.
Right away she started a rigorous treatment schedule. Before one of her chemotherapy treatments, her boss gave her a bag of goodies. “It had candies, it had chocolates, it had a little note card, and I thought, wow, this is really nice.”
One year after diagnosis, Colleen thought, “How can I give back to my infusion center, to the cancer community?” Colleen answered her question with Project Valentine. She gets businesses and friends to donate everything from inspirational books to hand-knit scarves for hundreds of gift bags for people going through chemotherapy on Valentine’s Day. For the past four years, on February 14, Colleen’s team of volunteers has delivered the bags to dozens of hospitals. “It’s really inspiring to see people come together and form a community and give of their time.”
Colleen’s goal? To make their holiday a little sweeter. “Even if it lasts for only two minutes while they open the bag and look what’s in it, it’s totally worth the recruiting, organizing, assembling that the project takes.”
This past Valentine’s Day, more than 400 people going through cancer treatment received a gift bag from Project Valentine. Meanwhile, Colleen is in the midst of a clinical trial that is showing great promise.
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