Icing Smiles Part Two!

In a previous post on the blog I spoke about the amazing organization called Icing Smiles. In a combined effort with bakers across the country, Icing Smiles provides birthday cakes for critically or terminally ill children and their siblings. Please read my first blog to understand why this organization is SO important to me. I had been called upon a few times to provide a cake, but I kept having conflicts with my schedule... until Mia. 

Mia was born on December 20 with a congenital heart condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) and in short, the left side of her heart was severally underdeveloped. You can read more about Mia's journey on her mom's Facebook page. She's seriously a trooper and I couldn't wait to meet her. 

Mia was going to be celebrating her second birthday on December 7 and once I confirmed my availability I was put into contact with her mother, Christi. She informed me that Mia is in LOVE with the show Paw Patrol and the character Skye. Once again, I had never even heard about this show so I spent a few hours online researching to get an idea for her cake. In my research I discovered that Skye was a cockapoo and if you've read my very first blog entry you'd know that my sweet puppy dog, Sophie, is in fact a cockapoo! I immediately messaged Christi about Sophie and offered to bring her along when I delivered Mia's cake. Christi and Mia were 100% on board. I think that Christi and I were actually more excited about the whole thing than Mia... And Sophie for that matter. Sophie HATES wearing things. Coats, costumes, bows, you name it. She will literally stand there and look at you as if you just de-stuffed her favorite squeaky toy.

Skye wears this pink get-up so I had to make Sophie wear her pink coat for the delivery! 

Sooooooo getting back on subject!!! The design of the cake was actually pretty simple. There are six puppies on Paw Patrol, so I made each of their badges to go on a side of the cake. 

They were made from gumpaste that I then colored with edible markers. I also made Mia her own personalized badge that had a gold heart with her name in the center... and I forgot to take a picture of it. 

The front had the Paw Patrol logo and a bright, pink '2' for Mia's birthday. 

The top of the cake was a different story! I made Skye by carving/sculpting Rice Krispy treats, which is the most time consuming part for me when I'm making 3-D figurines. I'm really a perfectionist and if one part looks 'off' to me then 9 times out of 10 I'll squish up the figurine and start over!   

Once I had Skye's head and body made, I covered them in a layer of buttercream, smoothed them out, and then covered them in fondant. I then added all of the details including her goggles and aviation hat, backpack, tail, ears, eyes, arms and legs. I was so happy with how she turned out!

On the day of Mia's party, I got Sophie all dressed up in her jacket and we made our way down to the hotel where her family was having the event. I unfortunately couldn't bring Sophie into the hotel but Mia got to meet her in the entry way of the lobby and Sophie had kisses for everyone. Wouldn't be an issue if she didn't have such stinky, puppy breath! 

When I opened the cake box to show Mia her cake, she immediately started smiling. She recognized Skye in an instant and couldn't contain her excitement. I picked her up and showed her Skye and the different parts of the cake and we got a few pictures together. 

As I started to leave, my emotions got the very best of me and I started crying. Christi thanked me over and over again for the cake but I told her the honor was all mine, and it really truly was! Mia is such a little fighter and has been through more battles in her first 2 years that most people won't even face in their lifetime. I just kept thinking to myself how miserable I was when I was sick and then diagnosed with Lupus and how much I needed a distraction from all the doctor's visits, lab tests, and hospital stays. Mia's condition is SO much more critical than mine, so I could only imagine the break they all needed from the medical hustle and bustle they go through each day. I was honored to be part of the distraction that day and doing her birthday cake put so much into perspective for me. Life is so precious and so many people take it for granted. I often ask myself, "Are you doing enough? Are you making the world better by being in it? What else can you do to make a difference?" And it dawned on me as I was writing this blog that hopefully by sharing this story, it'll inspire others to have the same mindset. I wish that I could spend the rest of my life providing cakes for Icing Smiles, but unfortunately I do need to make some sort of income haha. But can you imagine how much better our society would be if each day, every single person did ONE thing to help someone else. Ask yourself if YOU are making a difference, and if not, what's stopping you? 

Thank you for reading! Always,

Sarah 

Icing Smiles

I hate my birthday. This is common knowledge to just about anyone who is relatively close to me. However, my reasoning behind this hatred might not be as readily known because I usually tell people, "Because I've had some really crappy birthdays."

The worst one to date was my 14th birthday. I turned 14 in the back of an ambulance that was speeding from an ER in Scranton to the ICU at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. I had spent the 2 years leading up to this joy ride suffering from ailments that didn't have explanations. Doctors said my excruciating joint pains were probably growing pains because all of their blood tests came back negative. Test after test came back without a diagnosis. I even lost all of the hearing in my left ear because a "virus" caused nerve damage. Everything came to a boiling point the day before my 14th birthday when I ended up in the ER with fluid surrounding my heart and lungs. The local doctors recognized the severity of my case and sent me to the ICU in Philly. 

I'm not going to lie... I barely remember the first few days in the hospital. I do remember when the doctors finally came to me and my family with a diagnosis: Lupus. It wasn't terminal but the road to remission was going to be a long one. I was placed on a HIGH dose of prednisone that over the course of a year that would bring my overactive immune system down to the activity seen in a normal immune system. That summer was spent driving back and forth between home and Philadelphia for check ups. 

It's been 12 years and I'm still in remission. I definitely had my fair share of flare-ups but I've been lucky. I have never allowed Lupus to be a large part of my life, and I tried to grow up as normal as possible. Normalcy is ALL I ever wanted. When I was diagnosed, I was so young and naive. I never really saw the larger picture until years later. The stress it put on my parents... my sister. Financially and emotionally. Dealing with a sick child is something that I wish upon NO ONE. I'm so fortunate that my illness, with treatment, was controlled into remission. Others aren't as fortunate. 

Which brings me to the whole reason for this post. Icing Smiles. This incredible organization is working to bring that sense of normalcy that I spoke of before, to critically/terminally ill children and their families. I'm going to quote their mission statement because my words won't do it justice. 

"Icing Smiles is a nonprofit organization that provides custom celebration cakes and other treats to families impacted by the critical illness of a child.  We understand that the simple things, like a cake, are luxuries to a family battling illness.  Our goal is to create a custom cake for the ill child, or their sibling, that provides a temporary escape from worry and creates a positive memory during a difficult time."

I got goosebumps the first time I read this and I knew this was something I needed to be part of. I've been there.. I know what it feels like to want that temporary escape and I cannot wait until I am able to provide that to a family. I'm official registered as a "Sugar Angel" and have been added to the list of vendors in the Scranton (and surrounding 120 miles) area who will donate custom cakes to families that apply. 

I've always been looking for a way to give back and I've found it. If I can make one child smile, temporarily forget about their pain,  and possibly prevent them from hating their birthdays in the future... then I'll do everything in my power (and in my kitchen) to make that possible. Please take some time to check out Icing Smiles and their Facebook page to see what an extraordinary organization this is! I can't wait until I get to donate my first cake and I will definitely post a blog about it. Thanks for reading! 

Always, 

Sarah