------Jamis Army Bracelets Let Us Know We Are Not Alone------ One of my favorite poets/writers is Tupac Shakur. In many of his writings, he shares insights into desperate, traumatic, hopeless, and tragic situations he and others have experienced in life. Multiple gun shots fill the block, the fun stops Brothers is calling cops, people shot, nobody stops I wonder when the world stopped caring last night Two little kids shot while the whole block staring - I wonder when the world stopped caring last night - In these specific lyrics of that verse, he is screaming out a fundamental human need and fear...the fear that we will not be connected to others, that no one will care about us...the fear of being alone. Make no mistake, being connected to and cared for by others is as fundamental to our health and existence as food, water, exercise, and shelter. I share Tupac’s poem as an example of a basis for my belief, because this need to feel connected to and cared for by others has been slammed home with a thousand exclamation points in the Carney household over the past three months as we have been so fortunate to receive an outpouring of support as Jami battles lung cancer. - I wonder when the world stopped caring last night - Never let it be said that people in the world do not care for us. We know we are damn fortunate. I have to look no further than the creation of Jami’s Army as proof. A few weeks after Jami was diagnosed with cancer, our son, Kyle, and his wife, Ashley, told Jami and me how impressed by and proud they were of Jamis fighting spirit toward the terrible news. Simultaneous to the their observations of Jami’s positive and determined attitude, Kyle and Ashley also witnessed the support of so many family members and friends reaching out to us with kind thoughts, prayers, and gestures. After over 125 people turned out to decorate our home for Christmas, Ashley told Jami, “It’s like you have an army of people that care about you and want to support you.” They named the people who are supporting us in Jami’s cancer fight - Jamis Army - and they created bracelets with this moniker. Two months later over 1,500 people have now worn Jami’s Army bracelets to signify their support for Jami and our family. Thank you to everyone who has requested, wears, or has worn a Jami’s Army bracelet. We are amazed and humbled by so many people’s interest in having and wearing one. We know we are no more special than anyone else. We also know that EVERYONE has tough issues in their lives that they are dealing with and by no means does Jami’s situation trump anyone else’s struggles. Despite this, for some reason we are not sure we are worthy of, so many of you have reached out and have made us feel incredibly special. Relatedly, there were a few FB timeline and PM posts yesterday with more people asking how they can get a Jami’s Army bracelet. If you are interested, PM your mailing address to me, and I will mail you one or a couple. It usually takes a few weeks to get to you. We are honored by people wearing them. Selfishly, it absolutely energizes and encourages us at a time when we need it most in our lives. We also hope that it energizes and encourages the people who wear it in the following ways: 1 - As a symbol of support for Jami and our family and the uplifting feeling that comes from thinking well of, and/or doing something good, to uplift others 2 - As an indirect show of love, concern, and support for a family member or friend of yours that has battled or is currently battling cancer 3 - As a reminder that life is short and to work to intentionally enjoy life and the people you experience it with #Jami’s Army
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 12:56:46 +0000
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