Help Riley Maness with her Community Project Goal

Dear Family, Friends and Community,

My name is Riley and I am a junior at Lincoln High School in Stockton, CA. I have been part of the Commitment to Community program at my school for the last two years, where students volunteer their time and complete a minimum of 100 hours of volunteer service per year in their communities.

Did you know that, worldwide, in 2018, there were 17 million cases of cancer? In 2019, 1,752,735 new cases of cancer were reported in the US and about 650,000 of those cancer patients receive chemotherapy in an outpatient setting. Chemotherapy treatments can last up to 6 months or more and some chemotherapy infusions can take minutes to several hours, whereas others are given over several days or weeks. Chemotherapy does not come without its side effects. Patients can experience many common side effects such as fatigue, nausea and vomiting, hair loss, mouth, tongue and throat problems, painful swallowing, and infection. Chemotherapy can also cause damage to nerves leading to peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy may cause tingling, burning or numbness in the hands and feet. Due to peripheral neuropathy, patients may experience cold dysesthesia, which is an extreme sensitivity to cold such as drinking ice-cold beverages or feeling uncomfortable or even pain when exposed to cold temperatures whether it be from the air conditioning or cold weather.

For the last two years during the pandemic, I have been volunteering my time to make needed items to help the chemotherapy patients stay warm at our local Cancer Centers. For my next two years in this program at my high school, I have decided that I would like to make double-layer fleece tie throw blankets for the patients at my local Cancer Treatment Center undergoing chemo treatments. I hope this will help with the cold sensitivity and bring a little comfort during their chemotherapy treatments. Patients would be able to pick their blankets to keep and use during their chemotherapy treatments. My goal is to make 30-50 blankets per year at an estimated cost of $35 per blanket which could cost upwards of $3500 for the project. I am asking my family, friends and community members to please consider giving to this project to help me reach my goal. Any amount, whether small or large, would be greatly appreciated and will help me make as many blankets as I can. I thank you in advance for your consideration in giving to my Commitment to Community project for the 22/23 and 23/24 school years.