History of My Blue Dots

“Through stories, we share not information, but experiences and it’s experiences that shape and define our values.” – Timothy E. O’Connell, PHD Tend Your Own Garden, 1999

When I heard those dreaded words “Yes Sue, it is cancer, I was in shock and disbelief. Thus, as a writer, I wrote about this experience and it became my first book. Moving On (before and after cancer) is my journal of my journey through my cancer experience. It is written, and recorded in rhyme, and is a personal account of the fears, the thoughts, and anxieties that many cancer patients encounter during their cancer experience. I also write about My Blue Dots. These blue dots are the tattoos that were placed on my body to serve as markers for the radiation beams during the treatments.

When I finished these treatments I wondered what I could do? How do I put a period at the end of this chapter in my life? How do I honor others who have also gone through this experience? For a period of eight weeks I had to go to the hospital every day for treatments. Every day I saw the same faces, talked with the same people, and saw the toll this procedure took on so many. What could I do at the end of this ordeal to say, “I honor you and what you have been through?”

Placed in my heart was the concept of a beautiful blue dot ornament to HONOR those who have gone through this experience. It would also INFORM others of what the blue dots are. The proceeds from this project I would GIVE back to cancer organizations to meet their various needs. Thus, My Blue Dots and the blue dot ornaments became a reality.

The ornaments are all hand blown-clear glass with cobalt blue dots. Each ornament is one of a kind----as each of us are unique and one of a kind. The purpose of the blue dot ornament is to HONOR an individual who has gone through the radiation treatment process. This beautiful gift puts a period on that chapter of their life.

May these blue dot ornaments not only honor those who wear the blue dots but also stand as a symbol of a world that is cancer free.

Sue McCollum