The B-mail Quilt - Square by Square

Read the stories about the squares of the B-mail quilt. Each square has it's own unique story and message.

Photographs of each square coming soon.

Read "The Story behind the B-mail Quilt"

Jenny's Square

The central block features the sunflower logo of the Breast Cancer Institute.  Anchored in the heart of BCI is the web based network - the online support group B-Mail.  There are many women who give support to each other through this service.  Throughout our shared breast cancer journeys and beyond, we have sent each other rainbows of healing and encouragement.  Periodically an angel would appear in our Inboxes with a message of cheer or a get-well wish.  The smaller block captures what The Inbox angel has brought me... Love, Hope, Care and Support.

Edna's Square

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2000 and following treatment, have continued to keep well.

During tests at Westmead in 2004 I found out about the email support group, B-Mail.

My quilt block shows how I perceive the B-Mail support group, through the eyes of someone coming in three and a half years after diagnosis.

There has been friendship,

                  information

                        laughter,

                              support

                                    and tears.

I put a daffodil in n the corner as after my diagnosis a lady by the name of Robin, gave me a bouquet of daffodils. 

I have enjoyed working on the block, though sometimes I felt I had "bitten off more than I could chew". It's been a long time since I did cross stitch!

Gythlian's Square

My block represents what B-Mail has meant to me.... Links to amazing women who have shared my journey each step of the way.  They have offered support, advice, information, compassion and hope.

Nothing like this exists in New Zealand so my "happening" upon B-Mail in my early days after diagnosis was an absolute Godsend.

I will be forever grateful to the NSW Breast Cancer Institute for establishing B-Mail.

Jan G's Square

"Our Hut"

Leaves - Some grow

      Some change

      Some stay  

      Some fall 

So many different ages and walks of life are joined together with B-Mail.

"Our Hut" is a physical coming together of our unique group of travelers who are all travelling the same path but in many different ways.

The beauty of the surroundings reflects the beauty of our B-Mail group, a unique and precious group who have helped me through my worst times.  Times we share together is like looking through a window into my heart.

Everyday I think of one who has left us but is always in my heart.

I feel I am one of the most fortunate people being privileged to meet such an amazing group of ladies through B-Mail and to have formed such a bond of love and friendship.

 Jan H's Story

I chose a mermaid for the subject of my quilt square as I wanted to show that even though we may lose a part of our bodies, we can still look beautiful.  Also reminding us that true beauty is in the heart, in kindness and compassion and thought for others.  What we may think of as ugly, is really only a small part of who we are. It gives us the strength to pick ourselves up and believe in ourselves again and to believe that we are still beautiful desirable women. 

This journey has shown us that we have inner strength and courage we were probably unaware of, that life is too short to waste a precious minute on negativity and self-pity, there is always someone worse off and to be grateful for any small gains fighting this disease.

 

At the time my diagnosis with bone met, I had just moved to Cobar. I had no family or friends living in the town so it was a lonely and overwhelming time.  Then I heard about B-Mail in a radio interview.

 

B-Mail has introduced to me some wonderful, courageous and compassionate women.   My dear friend Brenda in Memphis whom I met in 2004, Alison who wrote to me every day until she could no longer do so and Jenny L who appeared in my hospital doorway.

 

Without B-Mail I would never have met these and many other wonderful women.

 

Joany's Square

"Be kind to yourself" has been with me even before I joined B-Mail.  I usually  sign all emails and b-mails with this phrase and hope that sharing it on the quilt will always remind each of us and others how important we are to ourselves.

The white circle is my way of joining us to Gyth in NZ.  She and I look at the moon and send loving thoughts to each other.  The moon is also special because of Sally, my dearest friend.  On the night of her diagnosis, four years after mine, we stood in her harden with our arms around each other and looked at the full moon.  It was one of the most precious moments we have shared.

The rainbow represents the loving gift of rainbow ribbons from Janet, in Bathurst 2004.  These ribbons have become a bond between many by sending rainbow thoughts and love to women needing something special at times.  The rainbow is also my memory of the last time some of us were able to share time with Alison.

The two hearts mean more than I can list; my love for those who have been part of my journey, my love for Sandy who has a special place in my heart, my love of loss of my breasts, my heartfelt belief that I am a true survivor, my love of my husband and daughter.

The pink ribbon was my very first, which my daughter Amanda gave me after my first surgery.  I give it as an ongoing gift to all who see and enjoy the quilt.

Kerry Ann's Square

"She could not believe two words could change her life so dramatically.  The words; breast cancer, and her world crashed down around her.  She now found herself lost in despair, in a fog so thick she no longer knew the way back home.  She hung her head and sobbed....

Through her tears she became aware of a light.  As if guiding her, the light became a beam.  She walked cautiously towards the source; each step she took seemed to lighten her burden.

The fog cleared to reveal a sky covered in rainbows; a kaleidoscope of colour, shimmering and moving.  Then she noticed a small pink cottage in the field.  She walked up to the front porch and read the sign above the door. "Welcome to the House of Hope, for all of those who need comfort". 

Out of the chimney floated pink hearts that seemed to settle on the rainbow.  Her heart felt like it had been filled with you and her despair drifted away.  She now knew she could survive, one step at a time she would walk this new journey.  A pink heart settled at her feet and bending down to pick it up, she felt the arm of a friend to around her shoulder. 

Rainbows - better things to come.

Pink - breast cancer colour.

Hearts - symbol of love.

Kerry's Square

The square I created is dedicated to my dear friend Sue who passed away on Valentine's Day 2005.

Sue and I met through B-Mail and became friends in 2000. I had maintained and monitored the B-Mail mailing list for several years. As a breast cancer survivor myself I was passionate about B-Mail, and the important role it played in uniting women in their battle against breast cancer.

I became aware that Sue and I lived quite close to each other, so we met and became great friends. Our boys played baseball for the same team on the weekends. We spent lots of time together with shopping trips to Melbourne and the occasional "girls night out". Sue loved to party. All this time Sue battled the monster within her, with a smile and steely determination.  Never once did she complain.

In January 2005 I accompanied Sue on a Pacific cruise. I look back now and wonder how she managed it. She passed away three weeks after we returned to Sydney. When I think of her, I remember her strength, love and independence. Sue loved pink roses so they are a feature of the basked of flowers.

The flowers are to say thank you to Sue the love and friendship we shared.

Leonie's Square

I have found it difficult to put things into words or pictures but as I contemplated the design for my block, one thought kept coming back to me; my daughter Bethany's blanket. When I was diagnosed in 2003, I would freak out over the most bizarre things and one of those was Bethany's blankie which here nana had made her. Over the years it had developed a hole and it upset Bethany greatly. So we bought some pink material and made a love heart shaped patch to sew over the hole.  I told her each patch represented all the love she put into her blankie when she snuggled it. She stopped feeling sad about the holes.

One of the weird things that kept going through my mind throughout the breast cancer trauma was that I realised that I wanted to live so that I could see Boo's blanket covered in hundreds of hearts. The crystals around the heart are my children's favourite colours and represent all the tears I shed over them during my journey.

My boys, Alexander and Joshua, said I should include hearts for them so the hearts down the side represent the whole family.

Margaret's Square

My friend Dawn actually made the square for me, and that really is the story not only of my breast cancer journey but also the many things that have made up my life in recent years.  The happy, sad, anxious and just ordinary times have been shared with so many friends that I often reflect that part of my life is like a garden.

Sometimes I was the fragile plant needing love, care and support. At other times I am the big strong weed that others can lean on, always relied on to spring back into life no matter how tough times are.

My life since diagnosis in 1999 has constantly been enriched by the strong, loving women with whom I've shared the story and the journey.

My work colleagues (I was teaching primary school) were a constant support.  The young mothers from school provided meals every evening for three months for my three teenaged sons. They knew that the best support for my family "garden" was to look after my lovely boys.

When I discovered B-Mail, new blooms were added to my garden.  While I was not well, I often daydreamed of being able to create my own real garden full of lilac, lavender and a myriad of pink flowers to remind me of the kindness of friends and to share with those who have come into my life.

This dream is slowly becoming a reality and I now look forward to a future sharing many happy moments in my life garden.

Sandy's Square

It's not fancy,
It's just plain,
But I wanted to contribute
Just the same. 

B-Mail was a saviour
When I was in pain,
Emotional and physical,
I could complain. 

Replies and answers I would get,
From beautiful women
Over the net,
Many of them I will never forget.

I can now put faces
To lots of the names,
I have shared in their lives
And in some of their pain. 

These women are strong,
A privilege to know
Sharing and caring, I would never have met
If not for wonderful B-Mail.

Wilga's Square

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2001 just after we had three sudden deaths in our family. It was not a great few months for us. I had surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.  The two worst things about chemotherapy were the terrible mouth ulcers and the hair loss. Now like many others I live with the hot sweats and the memory loss, extremely frustrating in mid sentence.

In my work as a counsellor, it is difficult to help people while I struggle to find a word to replace the one I can't recall.

My block tells my story, a journey through this time. At the bottom things were distressing for our family and then came breast cancer. The brown on the bottom was the three deaths. The yellow was where things started to improve until breast cancer, the light brown part.

The long dark brown piece is the treatment and all that it entailed. The dark green is the treatment and all that it entailed. The dark green is the beginning of seeing light at the end of the tunnel. The florals are the start of coming out of the dark bits and beginning to live life again. The butterfly is freedom and new life to go where you choose. The beige piece is my breast and of course the yellow is my heart.

Last Updated on Thursday, 27 November 2008 04:48