BEVERLY — Like many people, Patty Armstrong has been touched by cancer in too many ways. Her mother and both godparents died from the disease, and a friend struggled for years against breast cancer.
So when Armstrong spotted a plea on Facebook for people to make cards for cancer victims, she couldn't resist.
Tomorrow, the 41-year-old Beverly resident will deliver about 50 handmade cards to patients at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston as part of a national "Cards for Cancer Day."
"It's an awful, awful disease, and I just want to eradicate it from the Earth," Armstrong said.
Armstrong organized "card parties" where she and friends made the cards. The cards cannot say "get well," she said, "because some of the kids will not."
Instead, they feature uplifting sentiments such as "You are special," "Smile" and "Laugh out loud," and are decorated with pictures of birds, tulips and the sun.
More than 100,000 cards are expected to be delivered to cancer patients in hospitals around the country. Armstrong said she hopes the cards will raise the spirits of people fighting cancer and let them know others are thinking of them.
"It'll make them smile, and they will know they are thought of and loved," she said.
Staff writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2675 or by e-mail at pleighton@salemnews.com.
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