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In This Issue:
Sioux Gilli, practice administrator for Brigham Medical Specialties, is spreading holiday cheer with her own two hands?—?and plenty of pine, ribbon and patience. All of the proceeds from Gilli’s handcrafted holiday wreaths support a worthy cause: the families of patients at the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (DF/BWCC).
Gilli’s late husband Edmund “Chic” Gilli, who worked in the departments of Medicine and Dermatology for 15 years, was a cancer patient at the DF/BWCC in 2004. During that time, Gilli realized how costly incidentals like food, coffee, lodging and transportation can be for the families of patients. When her husband lost his battle with cancer, Gilli established the Blue Christmas Foundation in his honor to help families cover such costs.
“The last things you want to worry about when your family member is hospitalized are the extraneous expenses,” Gilli said. “I hope this fund will minimize these concerns and allow patients’ families to focus on spending time together.”
The Blue Christmas Foundation already is a huge success this year. Gilli and her daughter, Angela, have hand crafted 300 wreaths and raised more than $5,000. Because the materials are donated from local companies, family and friends, 100 percent of the proceeds go directly to patients’ families. Gilli ships or hand delivers the wreaths she sells to her customers.
“This is a wonderful outreach to support the families of our patients,” Kathleen Gordon, director of Patient Family Relations, said. “Sioux’s wreaths are lovely.”
Gilli began making wreaths as a child with her mother, and now she and her daughter are continuing the tradition.
“I’ve been making wreaths all my life, and my husband and I used to donate them to local charities every year during the holidays,” Gilli said. “What I experienced with my husband being a patient only enhanced the passion I feel for our patients. I’m glad I have the support to continue making wreaths and can donate them to a cause I hold close to my heart.”
Anyone interested in purchasing a wreath for $15 or making a donation to the Blue Christmas Foundation should contact Sioux Gilli at ext. 2-5772 or sgilli@partners.org