The Amazing Story of the Butterfly Book Wagon

Throughout Alanna’s year of treatment, Kelly and I took her on many adventures. Sometimes she would roam the world of Narnia with her daddy by her side. Other times, she and I would giggle at the grandiose ideas and schemes of the ever-hopeful Anne of Green Gables. She solved mysteries with Freddy the Detective and danced with bears as a gypsy princess. Hard to believe, but she did all this from the comfort of her own hospital bed with the power of a book. We read together a lot when Alanna was sick. It was a wonderful way to escape…if only for an hour or so…the twisted reality of IV poles and needles in which she found herself. Alanna continues to be an avid reader. You can often find her curled up in her bed or on the sofa with a good book. It is this love for books that brought about the idea of the Butterfly Book Wagon. When Alanna finished treatment, we wanted to give something to the Oncology unit as a way to say thanks for the amazing care she received. Her first year off treatment, I was in a bit of a haze…I liken it to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder…and my creative juices had all but dried up at that point. Then came the Champion Child opportunity in the fall of 2004 and we became busy with different appointments and appearances throughout the year. Finally, this past summer, Kelly and I began talking more seriously about putting together something for the unit. The timing was good, as it would coincide nicely with Alanna ending her term as Champion Child in spring 2006. The “something” that we were discussing was a mobile book cart. We liked the idea of supplying books for the kids on the unit. We liked the idea of it being something the volunteers could bring around to each child’s room. We liked the idea of parents and kids cuddled up together reading – as opposed to watching movies or playing video games over and over again. We liked everything about the idea and so did Alanna…so we went to work in September 2005 to make it a reality. I began making some phone calls and talking to people about our proposal. People from Child Life and the Foundation at the hospital all said it was a great idea and were behind us all the way. I put in calls to national bookstores to get ideas about support and discounts. I talked to family and friends. And then I talked to Alanna’s school…thinking, just maybe, they might be interested in helping out the cause, too. As it turns out, the teachers at the school had already been talking about wanting to do something for the hospital in honor of Alanna being the Champion Child. They were more than open to my idea…and when they heard it involved books, they were ecstatic. With the help of Alanna’s teacher, Marc, a book drive began at Alanna’s school at the beginning of October. Alanna spoke at an assembly kicking off the campaign and she told the kids what it was like to be in hospital for so many long days. She told them that books made all the difference. The students were asked to purchase brand new books for the cart. They could order from the Scholastic order form that gets sent home each month, or they could bring in something they’d bought themselves. Marc set up a “book-o-meter” in the front hallway of the school. Their little school of 180 kids set a goal of 500 books!! That seemed a little aggressive from my point of view…oh, me of little faith. Slowly, but surely, the books started rolling in. 160, 275, 415, 480…550, 600+!! Can you imagine…over 600 brand new books from one little school! We were truly overwhelmed and Alanna was thrilled. She had the opportunity to present the books to Sandy from the Alberta Children’s Hospital Child Life department at a school assembly on October 26. Alanna and her friends pulled in five overflowing wagons of books to the applause of a full gymnasium. Kelly thanked the kids on our behalf and we awarded a pizza lunch to the classroom which brought in the most books per student (the Grade threes, if you were curious!). The camera crew from City TV captured all the excitement and her story appeared on the 6 o’clock news. Another great day. Meanwhile, I had found a wonderful man to build the book cart for us. Alfred is the father of Justine who works for the Foundation (she is the one who traveled with us to Ottawa/Orlando last spring). Earlier in the year, Alfred had constructed a step stool for Alanna to use when speaking at a podium. It was made with such skill that we knew he would be a natural choice for building the cart. We had a visit with Justine and her parents one Sunday afternoon, and Alfred agreed to take on the project. We were so pleased to have him involved. Then I had the idea that a wood book cart would be one thing…but a painted book cart would be fantastic. So, I went to work looking for an artist to bring our project to life. Through a strange series of Google searches, I came upon www.eyewonder.ca and I knew right away this was who we needed to hire. Angie Rees and her husband, Bill Hornecker, gave so generously of their talents to the project. As far as we’re concerned, their contribution was the perfect finishing touch. On January 11th, we had the joy of loading the cart with all the books and presenting it to the unit. Some of the nurses were very emotional when they saw Alanna and her gift. We are quite certain this will be a resource for years to come…and the word on the street is that every unit would love to have one now. I think the Butterfly Book Wagon has taken on a life of its own and will become a reality throughout the hospital. How exciting! I’ve attached the card that travels with the cart (download/view PDF file) … explaining its origin and the people behind it. I’ve also included these pictures so you can get a glimpse at this wonderful traveling library. Alanna’s tenure as Champion Child will come to an end at the beginning of March. She will be speaking at a luncheon introducing the new Champion Child – a little girl by the name of Morgan. We are sad to say “good bye” to our Foundation friends, but we are extremely grateful for the amazing opportunity that has been given to Alanna over this past year and a half. The amazing journey continues … Until next time, Jody & Kelly and Alanna