Carol is a Ladybug

I lost my dear friend Carol to cervical cancer six months ago.

To honor Carol and to raise money for Cervical Cancer Awareness, I have created these Artotes. Proceeds from each bag sold will be donated to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition.

Cervical cancer is nearly 100 percent preventable, yet according to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 13,000 new cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed in 2002 and about 4,100 women will die of the disease. The good news is that cervical cancer is preventable and curable if it is detected early; in fact, the occurrence of deaths from cervical cancer has declined significantly over the last 20 to 30 years

To ensure no one else loses a mother, sister, wife or friend from this disease, I will be donating the proceeds from these bags so that women can be screened and vaccinated.

And if it's time for your PAP smear--pick up the phone! If you have a teen-aged daughter--get her vaccinated!

Why is Carol a Ladybug?
Carol's nickname (one of them, anyway) is Ladybug. Shortly after her death, reports of ladybug swarms began pouring in from her friends. All over the country, people are being "visited" by ladybugs. We take great comfort from the visits and consider them signs that Carol is still with us. From a ladybug book jumping into a giftgivers hands at the bookstore to ladybug stamps at Disneyland, so many of us have been visited by our Ladybug .

Carol's gift for generosity and creativity was truly astonishing. I wanted to create something that would capture her spirit and spread the Ladybug Love. One trip to the fabric store and it came together instantly. I hope the little artists of this world can grow up in a world where no one dies from cervical cancer.

with thanks and ladybug love,
Megan