Welcome!

{Note: We have decided to keep this post at the top of the blog so new-comers can read about this blog.}

The purpose of this blog is to help raise money for our sister and daughter, Katie Hansen. Katie is a 39 year old mother of 6 (ages 2-14) who has mutated breast cancer that has spread around her sternum and is in stage 4. She has been told that there is no textbook cure for this cancer. Her doctor compared it to the morning glory flower—the cancerous areas can be treated but the cancer will pop up in other areas again and again. The road ahead looks long and difficult. Besides battling the cancer, they have financial obligations to face. They have to meet a large deductible before insurance will cover the cost of each weekly chemo treatment of $10,000. Surgery appears also to be in her future.

In order to help relieve some of the Hansen family's burdens we are starting this benefit blog. We will be auctioning items to raise money for chemo and surgery costs. Your support for this cause will be a great comfort to her family both temporally and spiritually. Most of the items for auction will be handmade. You are also welcome to send this blog to family and friends who might be interested in buying handmade gifts and/or supporting us in our effort to ease this great burden.

Here is how it will work: Items up for auction will be posted. Each post will state the starting bid. The beginning bid will include the cost of materials and the estimated cost of shipping. (All proceeds excepting the cost of shipping will go to the Hansens.) A closing date will also be posted. If you would like to bid on an item, please leave a comment with the amount you want to bid. You may bid as high and as often as you would like. You also need to leave some way for us to notify you. (either by having a blog that we can leave a comment on, listing your email or sending your contact information to chart@utwire.net .) After you win an auction you will be notified with more information.

Also, over the past few weeks we have been overwhelmed with very generous donations by many, many people; some we know and some we don't know. Thank you to those who have donated. However, because keeping up with the responses from the blog and donations has been more than we expected, we are no longer accepting donations for auction. We realize this limits how some people can help, but it will make it more manageable for us. We do, however, greatly appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Thank you again for caring so much!

Your faith, prayers and service in behalf of Katie are so appreciated. We love you and thank you!