ALTON - Patients receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments at two hospitals in the area had their days brightened by someone simply hoping to put a smile on their faces.
On this beautiful Valentine's Day morning, Dale Alcorn dropped off nearly five-dozen pink roses at the Alton Oncology and Infusion Center at Alton Memorial Hospital and the Radiation Center of Excellence at OSF Saint Anthony's. The roses, graciously donated by Jeffrey's Flowers By Design of Wood River, were then handed out by nurses and staff members at the centers to patients who were scheduled to receive chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
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Alcorn, Director and Founder of The Power of the Giraffe, worked to put a smile on the faces of cancer patients in memory of his wife, Carol Friedrich Alcorn, who lost her battle with cancer November 2015.
Carol was originally diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000. She was in remission from 2001 to 2009 before the cancer returned and spread to her bones and brain.
"When cancer metastasizes to the brain, doctors normally give a prognosis of 12 months," Alcorn said. "She fought for six more years after that initial prognosis. She just kept fighting."
Throughout Carol's battle, she had received numerous treatments from both the Radiation Center of Excellence and Alton Oncology and Infusion Center. Aligned with the values of the Power of the Giraffe organization, Dale and the group began "sticking their necks out" for patients receiving treatment by donating care packages.
"It started when we were traveling to these facilities, and thinking that it would be nice if there were these types of packages available for patients," Alcorn said. "It would give us the opportunity to brighten their day and that's what this whole thing is about."
The Power of the Giraffe is a local, nonprofit charity that provides care packages and financial assistance for cancer patients in treatment at hospitals around the region. The charity is 100 percent volunteer-based. Help from community sponsors like Jeffrey's Flowers By Design play a pivotal role in the success of the organization.
The charity will be hosting its Third Annual Power of the Giraffe 5K at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 22, at Alton Riverfront Park. Proceeds from this run will go to create care packages for cancer patients at Alton Memorial Hospital, OSF Saint Anthony's Health Center, St. Louis University Hospital, and the Siteman Cancer Center.
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