November sponsor: Film Funding and update on October sponsor

Another month has passed for the Meli family, and I hope they are doing well. We had a successful month and were able to donate $285.00 to their family. The Window Treatments by Melissa family wishes them the best and hope this small amount will help them.

This month we are helping a budding film director, Jared Cooley, fund his first full length film, taking him to the next step in his career as a film maker! A few years ago we helped Jared with a short film project called "The Black Bird." The Black Bird film is about a young boy in elementary school who becomes witness to a series of coincidences between his fellow classmates and a strange black bird that seems to target the next to die.

You can check out the Chattanooga Film Festival Recap podcast here where at 26:46 it is said about The Black Bird, "... It looked like a professional film shrunken to 14 minutes. . . the story was clever. . . . . the highlight of that segment of short films. . . ." Statement by Scott Phillips. I'm excited to see what Jared can do with a full length film! 

Here are some fun facts about the film The Black Bird:

The animal trainer for the "cravens" used in the film were trained and handled by David Sousa(The Matrix, Harry Potter films, Thor, Game of Thrones). We had them for one day and cost most of the budget. A storm came in causing the script to be slightly rewritten because of a location change.

It took four days to shoot, one of which was reserved entirely for the climax scene.

The Film was shot on a RED One MX camera.

The band Jukebox The Ghost allowed the use of their song "Devils On Our Side."

Jared says:

I was very fortunate with the making of The Black Bird with the crew and talent involved in making it come to life. The obvious one would be with the black bird itself. I met the animal trainer, David Sousa, on a previous set I was working on. He told me about birds he was raising and training that needed set experience. From that point the gears were turning and six months later the script took shape. There was no question of who I was going to for the bird in this film. David's long list of work speaks for it's self and my experience with him and his animals were phenomenal.

I also need to mention my cinematographer, Devin Keebler. I have known him from the beginning and there is no one else I would rather have behind the lens with me. His passion and vision is beyond anyone I've encountered in the field. His work with the colorist on this film is unbelievable.

Visual FX on this film came for an intern from Valencia College. No one would know but there were many visual fxs that are seamless: guide wire removal for the bird, sky replacement, and window replacement with entire outside environment and rain created.

Last but not least my actors John Corbin(Billy) and Bill Huggins(mystery character). First John was leaps and bonds the best child actor I have ever worked with. Amazing talent and can't wait to work with him again. Now, Bill had never acted in anything at all and exceeded my expectations. He worked weeks on his character and only had one shooting day. He mastered everything I was looking for and made the character real for the scene.

Jared's next film is underway with casting, set locations, script writing, etc. And we're going to help on the funding end of the project! It's going to be a mystery thriller and is set to film in May. We're excited to help out on Jared's film and hope our small donation will get him that much closer to achieving his dream.

For the month of November, domestic sales can get free shipping in our etsy store. Custom window treatments can get pricey to ship since they are unique sizes and often mounted on heavy mounting boards. Our shipping prices START around $15.00, so take advantage of this coupon code:

BLACKBIRD

This code will be good through all of November on domestic US shipping. 

We're so glad to be a part of this film project and hope to be a support in reaching this goal and dream! Good luck, Jared! The film is going to be amazing! 

Sponsor Family Update: The Meli family

October Sponsor Family: The Meli Family Update

The month has started off a little slow and we've only raised $100.00 so far. Every little bit helps, but we want to help this family as much as we can! You can donate personally at their gofundme. 

We are donating $5.00 of every order placed in the month of October to the Meli family and we are also offering you a free shipping coupon "MeliFam" that is good in our etsy store and on our website. This coupon is good on domestic orders only. Shipping roman shades is expensive as they are usually wide and heavy. Take advantage of the free shipping coupon while it lasts! And consider donating your savings to a family in need. 

Thank you all for your support. 

Sponsor Family for October: The Meli Family, coupon inside

Happy October, everyone. Today we are bringing back our sponsor families! Each month we sponsor a family or individual in need of some funding to get through a difficult time, fulfill a life goal/dream and anything else that is worthy of our time and funds. We donate $5.00 of every order placed in the month to the cause. Additionally, we offer a free shipping coupon and encourage our customers to take the opportunity before them to help our sponsor family by donating a portion or all of what they save with our free shipping coupon. (Coupon is only good on domestic US orders, no out of country).

Today I bring you the story of a beautiful family that has encountered an unfortunate situation. This is the Meli family from Hawaii. 

 Bottom row left to right Michael, Saia, and Pono
Top row left to right: Poko, Lia, Michael, and Val.

Val Meli, the mother of this beautiful family, passed away on July 31 of this year. This came two years after the death of one of their sons. Here is what Val's niece told me about it: " In May 2012, the Meli's oldest son Michael complained of a headache. Days later, on Mother's Day he passed away. On July 31, 2014, 3 days before her husband's birthday, Valerie Meli unexpectedly passed away, Leaving behind her husband, Michael, and 4 surviving children: Lia (senior in high school), Poko, (junior in high school), Saia, and Pono."

With permission of her husband, Michael, I would like to share with you a Facebook post that followed Val's funeral service: " 

"On behalf of my entire family, especially the kids and me, thank you all for loving us! Sunday's service for my dear Val was a strong indicator of just how much she is loved and missed. It was more than humbling to be hugged and held by dear friends and family--both those who were in attendance and the countless others who were not able to attend, but sent their love via phone, text, email, and social media. Looking out at the tremendous outpouring of support that evening made it very difficult to feel the pain, and we thank you for taking so much of our grief upon your shoulders. You truly have mourned with those who mourned. Val always had a beautiful smile that lit up the room, and I always looked forward to that smile when I was feeling down. She lifted our spirits each day with her laughter, and I realized after her services that she wasn't just here on this earth for the kids and me; she was everyone's Val! Her light will continue to shine through the lives of those she touched--her family, her classmates, her mission companions, her ward and stake members, and the list goes on. We love you all, and you will always have a dear and special place in our hearts."

I'd also like to share Val's obituary: "VALERIE ANNE POHAIAMEPUMEHANAAKEALOHA MELI 45, of Honolulu, wife and mother, graduate of Kamehameha Schools (’87) and BYU-Provo, passed away July 31, 2014. Valerie was an active member of the LDS Church, and has served in numerous callings, most recently as 2nd Counselor in the Honolulu Hawaii Stake Relief Society Presidency. She served an 18-month mission in the Japan-Sapporo Mission (1992-1994). After working 12 years at DFS Hawaii, she made the decision to work from home in order to be available for her young children. She never regretted the decision. She attended each of the children’s church, academic, and athletic activities. She was their greatest cheerleader. She served as Young Women leader, Cub Scouts Leader, Seminary Teacher, and has helped countless youths and adults. She was loved by all who met her, and she will be dearly missed."

Left to Right: Poko, Michael, Val, Pono, Saia, and Lia.

What a wonderful woman. I wish I could have known her. 

This situation has me in tears as I share it with you all because this is something I have anxiety about often. But we have the opportunity to help. Michael has been left with four young children to care for. It's a difficult time for this family without having to worry about expenses on top of it. 

WTbM will be donating $5.00 of every order placed during the month of October to the Meli family via their GoFundMe account. 

Additionally, we are offering a coupon for free shipping to use in our etsy store:  "MeliFam" will get you free domestic US shipping in the etsy shop.

 If you are looking for an opportunity to serve and do something good today, we encourage you to share all or part of your savings with the coupon with the Meli family via their gofundme account. 

Let's do what we can to make things a little easier for this family during a difficult time. I know other mother's out there have experienced anxiety about being in this situation at one time or another. but we are still here now and have the ability to help. If you feel inspired to do so, please share what you can with the Meli family. 

Thank you all for your kindness and consideration. I will be back on the 15th with an update as to our progress for the donation on our end and any other updates I may have for you. My readers and customers, you are beautiful people. I work with you on a daily basis and have had a glimpse into your beautiful homes and families. Thank you for helping and supporting our sponsor program and our sponsor families. I am grateful for you as I know the Meli family is at this time.

May Sponsor Family Update

Eliza Hope Miller

Earlier this month I introduced you all the Eliza Hope Miller. Since my introduction, Eliza has undergone her bone marrow transplant and engraftment of cells has begun. This is positive, however, growth has stopped at 44%. As of this morning, things aren't looking up for Eliza. Her story can be read here. And if you would like to follow Eliza and be updated you can follow her experience on Facebook here.

"Eliza Hope Miller was born on November 12, 2012. She was born with a rare disease. No one really knows what it is. Currently they have her diagnosed as "congenital IPEX-like with features of dyskeratosis congenita.

"It appears that Eliza's immune system is attacking her GI tract, giving her chronic diarrhea and making it impossible for her to eat. Currently she is on what is called TPN, which is in IV form and gives her all of her nutrition. This is damaging to the liver, however, so it is not a viable long-term option.

"If Eliza has dyskeratosis congenita (DKC), she will eventually go into bone marrow failure, which is fatal. Her other organs will also be effected, looking like an old persons organs, and they will eventually give out.

"Though we are not exactly sure what is going on, the hope is that the BMT will fix Eliza's GI problems, by getting rid of her immune system that is attacking her body and giving her a new, healthy Immune system. If Eliza does indeed have DKC, a BMT will prevent the bone marrow failure, but it will not fix the other organs.

"Eliza has gone through 2 weeks of chemo, which killed off her immune system. She received her new cells on May 1st, donated to her from her 6-year-old sister. We now wait, with hopes that her new cells will engraft, giving her a new, healthy immune system. We hope that we will find more answers about her disease in the future."

From Eliza's dad as of this morning: Eliza was "admitted to the hospital for gallbladder stones, pancreatitis, and a liver that is... very upset. The doctors have been basically fighting over whether they should do surgery immediately or wait and see if it resolves on its own." But within the last few hours he says it looks like a few of the issues may resolve themselves but it is still too early to tell.

With a heavy heart on this Saturday I am reaching out to my readers. If you are a praying person would you please remember the Miller family and baby Eliza in your prayers? Some of you may remember that we sponsored this family when they went through this with another child, Seth, an helped with his final expenses. This family has been through so much. Please say a prayer for them.

Last month was a slow month for us and we were only able to raise $95.00 for Eliza. I have no sponsor for next month so we will continue to sponsor Eliza. If you feel so inclined to submit a donation of any kind to this family please feel free to contact me. Or you can contact them directly through Eliza's Facebook page.

On a side note, if you are aware of anyone that could take advantage of our Sponsorship Program please let me know at windowsbymelissa@gmail.com. We want to help anyone we can. We have been very blessed with wonderful customers and a successful business and want to pay it forward. Please let me know how I can be of help to you or someone you may know.

Family Sponsor for May: Eliza Hope

Eliza Hope

Any long time readers may remember when we sponsored Seth. Seth was born with a very rare disease which eventually resulted in this sweat baby's passing. Later his sister, Eliza Hope, was born with the same disease.

Here is a little bit about her from her mom: "We recently welcomed another daughter into our family in November, Eliza Hope. Unfortunately, she has been diagnosed with the same disease that Seth had (dyskeratosis congenita). She was transported to Cincinnati Childrens where we await a bone marrow transplant for her. We were blessed to have her older sister Grace (5 years old) be her bone marrow match. We are planning on moving foward with the transplant when Eliza is 3 months of age. We have hope that things will go much better, due to her brother paving the way. He continues to help and inspire our family, as well as others!"

Her mom gave me this write up a while ago and of course Eliza is a bit older now.

This is a picture of Eliza with her older sister, Grace. Grace was a match for Eliza's bone marrow transplant. 

The picture above is Grace before going in for the bone marrow harvest. What a brave little girl!

This month we are donating $5 of every order to this beautiful family! We will update throughout the month on Eliza's condition. She has undergone the transplant already and we are just waiting to see if the cells engraft. 

You can follow her story here on the family's blog or you can get updates on Eliza's Facebook page.

Keep fighting, Eliza!

A Year Of Sponsorships

2012 Family Sponsors

Each month we select a family to contribute $5 of every order made that month to their cause. If you know of someone who could use our services please read about our sponsor program here and write to me at windowsbymelissa@gmail.com

In January we sponsored preemie baby, Ryan. He was born about five weeks early due to preeclampsia. In January, when he was one month old, he was admitted to the hospital for breathing complications and rhino virus. 

He is now one year old and doing very well. He had a few hospital visits throughout the year and has to take special precautions this winter to help prevent him from getting sick since a simple cold could land him back in the hospital. But other than that he is a normal baby and right on schedule with his developments.

In February we sponsored baby Seth Miller. Seth passed away last year due to dyskeratosis congenita. Our sponsorship helped with Seth's final expenses. Since then the Miller family has had another baby, Eliza Hope. Unfortunately she has been diagnosed with the same illness. We will be sponsoring baby Eliza in January. You can read their story here. More coming in January on how you can help with baby Eliza.

In March we sponsored my silly brother and his daughter. My brother had just finished undergrad with his accounting degree and we all know how tight finances are right around transition time. At that time his daughter, Berkeley, got sick for several months with breathing problems and her treatments were costly and not covered by insurance. I just say Berkeley on Christmas day and she is doing very well. She hasn't had to have her breathing treatments recently because she has made a great recovery! 

Here is Berkeley and my daughter, Miriam, on Christmas morning. 

In April we sponsored Avery, a six year old born with hydrocephalus and Cerebral Palsy. She has been doing an experimental therapy to help her be able to walk independently. As it is experimental it is not covered by insurance.  Here is a recent photo of Avery and an update from her mom.

"Thanks to the therapies Avery's been doing, as well as her own hard work and determination, Avery has made a lot of progress this year! She likes to be upright as much as possible, and rarely crawls at home anymore. She also likes to go without her walker when possible, so in places where she feels comfortable, like church, she has been walking independently whenever she's felt up to it. It is a joy to see her enjoying such a degree of independence, and we hope that she will be able to maintain the progress she's made, and gain even more physical strength and independence as she continues to work hard in therapy and at home. Thank you Melissa for helping her get the therapies she needs!"

In May we sponsored Brenna who was born with a rare skin condition called Harlequin Ichtyosis. This was unexpected when she was born and they have incurred many medical expenses. We are glad we could help!

Here is an update from Brenna's mom:

"Brenna is doing so well right now! She was very sick at the end of the summer and ended up having surgery to place a g-tube in her stomach, which we now feed her through to ensure that she is getting enough fluids and calories. Because her body uses so many calories for skin, she just couldn't keep up by herself. Now she is gaining weight and thriving, and she hasn't had a skin infection since early September! This week, we are celebrating a milestone that we couldn't have even imagined when she was born - her first birthday!"

In July we sponsored Adam. Adam lives with his grandma. He is 9 years old. He struggles with several disabilities. Among them are blindness, multiple sclerosis and some mental handi-caps. We helped donate money toward a new wheel chair for Adam as he had outgrown his other one.

Unfortunately, Adams scoliosis has become worse and he is facing the possibility of surgery mid next year. Otherwise he is a happy child spending lots of fun time with his grandma, sister and my kids!

In September we sponsored Brewer. " Brewer has hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). HLHS is a terminal heart defect where the left side of the heart is under developed and cannot perform it's function."

Here is an update from Brewer's mom: "Brewer is doing very well! Mid-september we were able to wean him off oxygen and he has been doing really well with out it! At last he is cord and wire free!! Recently we have had an appointment with Brewer's occupational therapist and his development is right on track and even ahead in some areas! Our last cardiologist appointment was also good news and we don't need to have another appointment for 6 months! In the next year, Brewer will have surgery to help correct his mega ureter and hopefully continue to come off medications. And there is still at least one more open heart surgery and transplant to plan for. But for now, we could't be more happy about his progress and are enjoying every moment of this "honeymoon" phase! We feel so blessed to have Brewer in our family and are so grateful to everyone who has prayed for and love our boy!!"

October and November were our months to save up for our Christmas Family.

We'll begin again in January! Please feel free to contact me at windowsbymelissa@gmail.com if you can think of anyone that might be a good candidate for our sponsor program.

Thank you all for a great year of helping others!

Report on our September Sponsor Family and 50% off coupon extension

In September we sponsored Brewer.

It was a little bit of a slow month, but we were still able to raise $150 for Brewer and his family! 

If you or someone you know would be a goo candidate for our sponsor program email us at windowsbymelissa@gmail.com. We'd love to hear their story and help out.

As a side note, we also want to let you know that we are extending the 50% off our fabric by the yard coupon through next week.

Don't Forget Brewer! Coupon inside!

Hello readers. I love to help others in any way that I can. I used to volunteer at a nursing home, food banks, etc. But my physical disorder, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, has left me limited in what I can do to help others. Having been blessed with an extremely successful bussiness, I have decided to help monetarily as I can at the very least provide funds. I was a little sad in August when we had no sponsor! I have had one every month since we started this program last year! But not August. So if you know of anyone or if you yourself might be a good candidate for our modest donation, please contact me at windowsbymelissa at gmail.com.

This month we our sponsoring

Brewer

Brewer's mom tells us about his condition: " Brewer has hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). HLHS is a terminal heart defect where the left side of the heart is under developed and cannot perform it's function. During the course of his life, Brewer will have three different open heart surgeries that will transform his heart from a two ventricle system to a single ventricle system. These surgeries are stop-gaps to help extend his life into his teenage years and possible into his twenties before he will go into heart failure and need a new heart. Since Brewer's birth, on February 26th, he has undergone two of the three surgeries; the first on Febraury 29th and the second on July 19th. Doctor's predict that his third surgery will take place between 3 and 5 years of age. 

 Because Brewer's heart, his oxygen saturation levels are lower than a person who has a healthy heart. We have to monitor them a few times a day and at night to make sure he's staying in range. It's a little scary because if they fall too low then not enough oxygen will be able to get to his brain and the rest of his body.

  When we first came home from the hospital the medical staff informed us that they didn't want Brewer crying because it puts extra stress on his heart, burns valuable calories and his oxygen saturation drops. They also failed to tell us how you prevent a newborn from crying. That was a stressful and constant challenge. We also left the hospital with many "signs" to look for in Brewer's health that might signal a problem, such as labored breathing, dusky skin tones, cold feet, and a hard tummy. It is also crucial that Brewer doesn't catch a cold or some other illness which could set him right back in the hospital in critical condition.  

Brewer burns more calories in general, meaning that he needs to eat more and has yet to go for longer than 4 or 5 hour stretch at night. Since we've been home from his second surgery we're pretty much back to a 3 hour eating schedule, eating 7-8 times a day. Babies who have HLHS are also at risk for developmental delays. We are involved in an early intervention program and it feels good to know that we are doing all we can to help Brewer progress. Between feeding Brewer, rocking him to sleep, pumping for breast milk, washing bottles, doing development exercises, keeping Brewer happy, and taking care of the needs of my almost 4 year old, there is usually not much time left to do anything else, like a bathroom break or an occasional meal. Showers have become quite the luxury. Thank goodness I have an amazing husband who has picked up where I am falling short. Since February, he has prepared all the dinners for our family.

 My husband is self employed and has been working long days to meet the financial demands we face. While we do have insurance, there are many things that are still not covered, like all our home health care equipment, oxygen, saturation monitor, breast pump, prescriptions and gas to travel to multiple doctor appointments. We also dread the time when we will have to renew our insurance and face the new premiums that will come with a baby who has such a serious heart defect. 

There isn't a moment in the day when my mind can stop thinking about Brewer's health and wondering if what we are doing is enough. And at the same time I am so grateful for what we have. Brewer is such a joy when he's feeling well and well rested. Hundreds of people have fallen in love with our sweet boy! There is something different and special about him that can easily been seen through his eyes and I am so grateful that he gets to be a part of our family. Phil and I have given up everything for Brewer and even though there are many times that we feel like there is nothing left to give, we will never quit. Brewer deserves the best chance at a happy and healthy life, just like everybody does and so we will continue to do all we can for him."

What a beautiful family! We hope to be of some help to them by donating $5 of every order placed in September to help care for baby Brewer's expenses. If you would like to make an individual donation aside from the $5 we will donate, please let me know and we will be happy to get that to them. 

Monetary donations are great, but if you feel so inclined I am sure this family could use any support. Please leave a comment of encouragement here or visit their own family blog at philandjerai.blogspot.com. 

If you use coupon code BREWER we will give you free shipping on your next order. If a separate individual donation is made we will match it! We have had people in the past opt out of the coupon code and ask that $15 they paid for shipping to be forwarded on to the sponsor families. If you choose to do this we will match that $15! (or whatever your shipping cost comes to as it is based on amount purchased).

Let's help baby Brewer!!