For individuals fighting cancer, every treatment decision requires measures of faith and bravery. After a dear friend was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 and began treatment, Stephanie Froggatte ’86 was awestruck by her friend’s valor in the face of this intimidating foe.
“Her amazing faith, over and over, and her courage, over and over, inspired me,” Froggatte says. “The challenges she faced and the decisions she made were major milestones that shouldn’t be taken for granted. I was driven to see that those things were celebrated.”
Froggatte wasn’t sure how best to recognize those milestones, so she sought the advice of Diana Thomi, executive director and co-founder of Victory in the Valley, a non-profit cancer support organization in Wichita that provides services ranging from support groups, to a boutique that offers hats and wigs, to transportation and lodging assistance.
Thomi told Froggatte about Beads of Courage, a program that provides beaded jewelry to children living with serious illnesses. Young participants receive brightly colored beads that allow them to tell and “own” their unique story. “It’s a wonderful program,” Froggatte says, “but we wanted to do something specifically for women. We wanted to present them with something special: a piece of stylish, elegant jewelry that is beautiful and significant – and as unique as each woman and her cancer journey.” With Thomi’s guidance, she set about creating the Beads of Valor program.
Beads have existed since the dawn of mankind and used as currency and adornments, as well as being the basis for tools, such as the abacus. They also have been used in healing and protective jewelry in many cultures and can carry spiritual meaning, as in the case of the Catholic rosary.
Not satisfied with factory-made and foreign bulk beads that are inexpensive and readily available, Froggatte was determined to find a source for handmade lampwork beads, because each bead is a unique work of art and “comes from the heart of the artist,” she says. “Everyone’s cancer story is unique, so I wanted each bead to be unique as well.” Research led her to artist Julie Freige, owner of Beadazzled, a bead shop and lampwork glass studio in Wichita.
“We kind of got off to a rocky start,” Freige fondly recalls. “Stephanie came in and explained what she wanted, basically, several styles and colors of handmade beads, and how many she needed – and I thought, ‘This woman is crazy!’ But what I said was, ‘Do you realize what it takes to do this?’ I took her to the studio and showed her the process.”
Lampwork, the art of creating beads and other glass objects by heating and shaping tubes and rods of glass (today, in the flame of a propane torch), dates back to the fifth century B.C. Like any art form, lampwork requires specific materials, training, practice and time.
A single bead takes from five minutes to more than an hour to create – and Froggatte needed 700 to 800 beads, just for the program’s first year. The Beadazzled owner and artist had her doubts. Yet despite Froggatte’s quiet demeanor and humble approach, Freige was impressed by her determination to get the program established.
Froggatte’s determination was fired in her own health struggles; like her friend who began her fight with cancer in 2008, Froggatte had to battle through health issues and the necessity of making difficult decisions.
She explains, “I graduated from WSU with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and, from 1986 to 1996, was employed by Vulcan Chemicals in R&D as an analytical chemist and mass spectroscopist. In 1996, I was disabled due to multiple auto-immune disorders. My education allowed me the opportunity to sucessfully pursue the career in a field of study I was passionate about. I found my career both challenging and rewarding. Leaving it behind me at the age of 32 years was one of the most difficult losses I had faced up until that point in my life. Life has many lessons for us, and the ones that cost us the most are the ones we tend to learn the most from.”
Froggatte adds that her experiences dealing with “a rebellious auto-immune system has taught me to be passionate about pursuing faith that overcomes the challenges of living a broken life.” And that pursuit of faith, she stresses, is the wellspring of the Beads of Valor program and the source of her commitment to it.
The Beads of Valor themselves come in a variety of styles, shapes, sizes, and colors. No two are identical. Specific diagnosis is represented by a color: jade for liver cancer, for instance, orange for leukemia.
The structure of certain beads signifies treatment milestones, such as a dot pattern for radiation, or scrollwork for surgery. The beads are meaningful – and beautiful. “Julie,” says Froggatte, “blessed us with her willingness to create these meaningful works of art.”
Since 2010, the beads have been presented to attendees of Victory in the Valley’s Camp Victory, an annual event for women with cancer. “The camp is a ‘girlfriends’ kind of weekend for patients to laugh, relax and de-stress,” explains Thomi.
About 125 women attend each camp and receive beads that represent diagnosis, each treatment option they have experienced, that year’s camp theme, and completion of treatment. Recipients cherish their Valor Beads and embrace them as powerful, talismanic milemarkers of their cancer journey.
“These beads are my badge of honor,” enthuses Jane Lewis, a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed in 2010. “Everyone has a bad day, and when I do, I put on my beads. I look at them and remember just how far I’ve come.”
A core team of 13 lampwork artists and one polymer clay artist create the beads needed for the program. Froggatte’s gratitude to each of them, and especially to Freige, inspired her to learn the art so she can contribute beads as well.
The artists gather periodically at Beadazzled for a Beads of Valor Torch Night, where they create beads and friendships that blossom as the program grows. Other groups, including artists from the Missouri Valley Bead Retreat, also contribute beads to the effort.
While Beads of Valor are available only to camp attendees at this time, Froggatte and Freige have plans to expand the program. Much labor (and many supplies) donated by glass artists is required to fill the demand for hundreds of beads for camp attendees alone.
To make the beads available to the general public (starting in May 2013), they figure an additional 5,200 beads a year will be needed to serve the need in Kansas. Froggatte, who has come to feel connected to the glass beads, is confident enough can be made to fulfill the need.
“Now that I have learned how to pass through the fiery trials of this life without being consumed,” she says, “I am passionate about standing with others as they face the challenges of their lives.”
