Publication Date: Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Fighting cancer, one bracelet at a time
Fighting cancer, one bracelet at a time
(February 09, 2005) Thirteen-year-old's breast cancer campaign brings funds and hope
by Molly Tanenbaum
A sixth-grade boy rang the doorbell of the Garcia residence, his arms holding a bagful of pennies, nickels and dimes.
The middle-school student wasn't looking to purchase a toy or even candy. He wanted to buy a bracelet that 13-year-old Palo Altan Olivia Garcia had designed and marketed as a means for raising money for breast cancer research in the name of her grandmother, who is fighting the disease.
Since November, Olivia Garcia has raised $8,000 selling the pink "Hope" bracelets. The word-of-mouth campaign has inspired friends, neighbors, and young kids to get involved. Proceeds benefit the Stanford Cancer Center, where her grandmother, Marian Faye Johnson, receives treatment. Olivia's hope is to reach $10,000 and then increase her goal.
Olivia has shipped bracelets to 14 states, sold to local Palo Alto retailers and created her own Web site, www.pink4hope.org. Bands cost $3 for one, $5 for two, and $10 for five.
"I just thought Olivia would have these bands and she'd sell them and we'd have 10,000 bands in our garage and it would just be a little project, but it hasn't been that way," said Kim Garcia, Olivia's mother. "It's taken on a life of its own, this whole 'Pink for Hope' thing."
Johnson, 63, was diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time six years ago and received successful treatment in Arizona, where she lived at the time. She soon moved to Menlo Park to be closer to her daughter's family and to receive treatment at Stanford.
But two years ago, just months after receiving a normal mammogram, Johnson discovered a lump during a self-exam in the shower. She immediately saw her doctor and began a new round of treatment at the Cancer Center.
Last fall, Olivia told Johnson she wanted to do something to help.
"I said, 'Olivia, you are doing something. You rub me, you are here for me, you support me so much.' She said, 'I want to do more,'" Johnson said.
Johnson assured Olivia that if she kept up with her studies, she might someday discover the cure to breast cancer.
"And then she came up with this to raise money to find the cure. I couldn't believe it. It's amazing," Johnson said.
Olivia searched for an inexpensive "everyday bracelet" for breast cancer, similar to Lance Armstrong's yellow "Livestrong" bracelets worn by many of her middle school classmates in Hillsborough.
Only finding expensive bracelets, she decided to make her own. Olivia tracked a manufacturer on the Internet, designed a logo and ordered the minimum amount of 10,000 bracelets.
She now spends every spare moment selling bracelets, squeezing in time when she isn't at school, at soccer practice, or completing homework assignments.
"My nights are later and I stay up later to fill orders but it's a fun thing to do away from homework," she said.
The project has kept the whole family busy, each member with their own role. Olivia's father handles the finances; Garcia calls herself the "official packing lady;" Olivia's younger brother, Vincent, counts out bands; and her older brother, Lorenzo, markets the campaign at his college in Oregon and to friends at colleges all over the country.
However, the project is entirely Olivia's creation, fueled by her close relationship with her grandmother. The two try to see each other as often as possible.
Olivia believes she has a deeper understanding of her grandmother's experience with breast cancer than she did when Johnson was first diagnosed.
"Now I really am understanding it and I can see her struggling," she said. "Most of the times you're with her you can't really tell because she tries to hide her pain and she's always smiling."
Olivia noted that her classmates look beyond the trend and purchase bracelets with a true understanding of the cause. Many purchase bands in bulk to sell.
"I knew people in my class had a deeper understanding of it when boys started buying them too. People realized the cause and that it wasn't a huge organization," she said.
Johnson's good experience at Stanford convinced Olivia the Cancer Center would be a worthy recipient of the campaign's proceeds. The Cancer Center will allow Olivia to designate the funds for breast cancer research.
"We were overwhelmed. Needless to say, we were very impressed...I think she's been an inspiration and a motivator for many of us here," said Pat Byrne, the Cancer Center's administrative director. "It underscores the fact that cancer is a family disease and it really affects everybody."
While this is Olivia's first time embarking on such a large philanthropic project, her family was not surprised at her ability to head up this endeavor.
"She's not afraid to make the first step and that we find very amazing," Johnson said.
Editorial Intern Molly Tanenbaum can be reached at mtanenbaum@paweekly.com.
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