Jessie and Paper Cranes

 
 

Paper cranes are a traditional symbol of happiness, health and long life in many cultures. A young Japanese leukemia patient named Sadako transformed the symbol of cranes into one of peace-building and healing when her classmates fulfilled her life wish to fold 10,000 (she developed cancer after the bombing of Hiroshima).


Since Sadako’s lifetime, cranes have also become symbols of hope to cancer patients. JESSIE received origami cranes from friends, and she gave them out to visitors and medical caregivers.


In celebration of Jessie’s life, people folded and delivered paper cranes from all over the country and around the world. Many were made by school children. We estimate that several thousands paper birds were set in flight from the height of the General Sutton ladder truck in Ipswich on a bright autumn day.


Since then, we have launched them from a small plane over the ocean, scattered them from a tall crane at the start of a bike ride, and hung them from holiday trees and bridges. Each year we’ll celebrate with at an annual crane flight.


We continue to share the paper crane as a symbol of hope and healing.

Meet JESSIE DOKTOR, twice-relapsed leukemia patient, who spent 6 years on treatment (surgery, radiation and chemo) before dying due to complications following a bone marrow transplant. To read more about her journey, visit her family’s online journal at www.dok.com. But if you think her life was defined by cancer, you don’t know Jessie...yet.

Life:1998-2007

Birthday: June 15

Favorite Color: Blue (but sometimes red)

Favorite School: Winthrop Elementary

Favorite Song: What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

Favorite Food: Sushi, black olives, spaghetti with marinara, whipped cream, mint chocolate chip ice cream Favorite Pastimes:

  1. •Reading

  2. •Ballet/dance

  3. • Karate, theater

  4. • Magic tricks & practical jokes

  5. • Webkinz

  6. • Games like chess, Sorry! and Uno

  7. • Friends & school

  8. • Soccer

  9. • Riding a bike

  10. • Swimming,

  11. • Lemonade stands for fundraisers

  12. • Playing her own songs on guitar

  13. • Cuddling with dad

  14. • Teasing her sister Sarah

  15. • Reading with mom

  16. • Rolling around with the family dog.

  17. •Favorite Books: Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and others), E.B. White (Charlotte’s

Web) and Cornelia Funke (Ghosthunters and InkSpell)





WHY CRANES? (Invitation: learn to fold a crane.)

Ways you can to support Bright Happy Power through the symbol of paper cranes:

  1. 1.Order and wear a t-shirt (crane on the back, too)

  2. 2.Order and wear hand-folded paper crane earrings

  3. 3.Fold paper cranes and send them to us...we collect them for use in our annual crane flights, and to send to families in need of comfort.

CONTACT US:

Email: info@brighthappypower.org

Phone: 978.356.3780

Fax: 1.866.712.5269

Address: 49 North Main Street, Ipswich, MA 01938

(federal 501[c]3 #26-1668751)