Wedding gowns continue to create memories
By KATHY FERGUSON
Article published on Wednesday, March 15, 2006  |
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| Photo courtesy of JOANNE BOSSA |
| Danielle Perkins of Seminole, married in April 2000, is one of many brides who donated her wedding dress to Brides Against Breast Cancer to help terminally ill patients’ last wishes come true. |
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SEMINOLE – It’s hard to imagine that one gown could mean so much to so many people.
Hope is the thread that binds them all together.
One white wedding gown means love and promise to a bride and groom. The same gown means that another woman, dying of breast cancer, can receive a last wish. The same gown also can mean a new memory, laced with love, for another future bride.
Imagine how those meaningful experiences are multiplied, thousands of times across the country through the Brides Against Breast Cancer event sponsored through the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation.
More than 25,000 women have donated their wedding gowns to the cause. The gowns, with personal notes attached, are purchased at a significant cost savings by new brides. And, 100 percent of those sales profits are used to grant wishes for terminally ill breast cancer patients.
Granted wishes have included family vacations, second honeymoons and laptop computers to keep up on current breast cancer research and medical advances.
This year’s event will be at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa where last year a record breaking $64,000 was raised to help grant dying wishes. The dates for the purchase of gowns are Friday and Saturday, March 17 and 18. Gowns with original values up to $4,000 will sell between $49 and $599.
This is the first year Joanne Bossa, a passionate cancer support volunteer living in Seminole, has been aware of the Making Memories program. Her daughters, Danielle Perkins and Nicole Ryan, donated their wedding gowns.
“It is our hope that this small gesture will assist in providing a wish for a cancer patient in need,” said the note attached to their donated dresses. “This is done in honor of our mother, Joanne Bossa, who is a two-time breast cancer survivor.”
“One terminally ill woman wanted a video camera to record a message for her daughter to see on her wedding day,” said Bossa.
It’s true that when dealing with cancer, most mothers measure their time left in their children’s milestones, she said.
When diagnosed with breast cancer years ago, Bossa remembers thinking about living to see her daughters’ graduations and weddings. Now, she is a grandmother.
“I never thought I would see this day,” she said.
Making Memories was founded in 1998 by the mother and daughter team of Fran Hansen and Anna Nelson. They were named 2005 Trendsetters of the Year by Modern Bride magazine and honored as “Women Who Make A Difference,” in a recent issue of Family Circle.
Bossa’s daughters added a special thought to their donations
“She enriches our lives every day in many ways,” the note continued about their mother. “We hope that this token enriches someone’s life as much as she has enriched ours.”
Bossa is proud of her daughters’ efforts.
“If everyone does a little,” she said, “then someone doesn’t have to do a lot.”
Anyone interested in donating her wedding gown is welcome to do so. Gowns are being accepted at the March 17 and 18 event. And, if ladies do not have a chance to make it to the Brides Against Breast Cancer event, information on where to ship gowns directly to the organization is available at www.makingmemories.org.
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Article published on Wednesday, March 15, 2006
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