Meaningful Person of the Month: Deb Buker

Our meaningful person for October is Deb Buker of Perrysburg, OH!

We met Deb (pictured, third from left) through our good friend, Marsha (Metti) Swanson (pictured, second from left) and she has had our backs ever since!!!

Deb is the editor of the Perrysburg Messenger Journal and she does such an exceptional job of highlighting relevant and meaningful stories in Perrysburg any beyond.

Deb just ran a second story about Bellflower Books - it focused on our partnership with The Pink Ribbon Girls, an organization that supports young women who have breast cancer. The day the story ran, the four of us pictured above went out for a cocktail in downtown Perrysburg, during which we learned that Deb, herself, is a breast cancer survivor. So, not only is she a great person and Editor, but she's a fighter and a survivor, too. After seeing my Mom go through chemo and radiation, I now have a much greater appreciation for what Deb has been through.

Thanks, Deb, for being a great advocate for Bellflower Books and for women fighting breast cancer. Your kindness and support are much appreciated!

Bellflower Books and the Pink Ribbon Girls – Working together to provide support!

Kim Henn, a young mom and a three-time breast cancer survivor, earned her spot as the honoree at this year’s 6th Annual Pink Ribbon Girls Wiffleball Tournament. This mother of two was diagnosed in 2002 with breast cancer and learned in 2007 that it has spread (metastasized) to her lungs.

Thanks to our new charitable partnership with the Pink Ribbon Girls we were able to donate a Bellflower Book to honor Kim and her unbelievable strength as she fights cancer for the third time. More than 50 of her closest friends and family members contributed memories, wishes and photos to make sure Kim knows why she is so loved and supported during this ongoing challenge in her life.

It was so exciting for us to see our product “in action” letting Kim know how loved and appreciated she is. Being a part of the book presentation was extremely meaningful for us. After seeing all of the amazing letters and photographs in her book, it was wonderful to meet Kim in person! She was just as incredible as we thought she would be.

We are looking forward to many more moments like this where we are given to opportunity to use the product that we so lovingly created to improve the lives of others.

Words of love truly are the best gift (and they keep on giving...)

As I was packing yesterday for our upcoming move from the 'Burbs to downtown Columbus, I came across a stack of letters & cards that I received last fall after my mother passed away from breast cancer. I ended up sitting on my kitchen floor (surrounded by boxes and clutter) reading the entire stack...

I was so struck by the wisdom and love in those cards. They lifted me up last fall when they were originally sent and reading them for a second time yesterday gave me another opportunity to grieve the loss of my mother while feeling supported & loved by my friends.

I am continually reminded of how powerful it is to tell people why you love them and how they make a difference in your life. THANK YOU to all my dear friends who have done that for me so many times in my life, but especially the past 18 months.

- Heather