About Art of Faith 11

Hi my name is Niki Anderson and I love to be creative and enjoy life whenever possible. I am 26 years old and have a baby boy named Lukas, who is the light of my life and the best thing that has ever happened to me. When I was 11 years old I was diagnosed with (ALL) a childhood cancer that made me very sick and made my family very sad and scared for me. I had to go through almost 3 years of chemotherapy, which was no fun, but I survived! Now I am here to share my love, positivity and creativity with others, especially those in similar situations. Aside from the overwhelming support of my family and friends, being creative and sharing that with others really helped me to get through the toughest of times. Spending so much time in the hospital can be extremely depressing and allows  too much time to think about your situation and then you strart to dwell on the pain and sadness that accompanies it. It is so important to keep yourself positive, distracted and entertained from anything that can bring you down. My mom changed my life when she introduced me to jewelry making when I was spending long periods of time in the hospital bed. It gave me something to look forward to and distracted me from the pain and anxiety that came from the treatments and encouraged me to keep moving forward. It all started one day when I had to stay in the hospital for a few days for treatment, my mom decided to go to Michaels craft store and get me some beads and string to take my mind off of what was going on, and I enjoyed it so much that time just flew by. I was able to create things that were pretty and fun to wear, while being distracted from the painful or sickening cancer treatments. My mom saw how much I loved it and brought me more beads and string to work with. The next time I stayed in the hospital I noticed one of my nurses was wearing a necklace that held her name badge, and so I decided to make name badge necklaces for all the nurses that had been so nice to me while I was there. Before I knew it nurses were insisting they pay me because they liked them so much and wanted another. They were giving me $20 for a necklace that I would customize for each nurse, and it became so popular that different nurses and doctors were coming to me from all over the hospital and there ended up being a waiting list on a bored with all the requests. This was really beneficial to me because it kept me busy and my spirits up knowing that people really liked what I was making and the fact that I was making money was a big deal for an 11 year old. The experience was very therapeutic and empowering, and now that I am older and have a child of my own, I really want to do something that will help other kids that are going through similar circumstances by sharing what helped get me through such a difficult time. I’ve decided to come up with a jewelry and craft making business where part of the profits will go to creating jewelry and craft kits along with funny and uplifting booklets to give to kids staying in our local hospitals. My son Lukas and I will personally deliver the kits and share our story and listen to others, and hopefully brighten there outlook and give them something positive to work on. We call the business Art of Faith 11, because faith is the most important thing to have when you are sick or going through any tough time in life. The 11 represents the fact that I got sick when I was 11, it’s been 11 years since I finished chemo, and in the Bible, Hebrews 11:1 states that “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen”, which has been an important quote to help me stay positive and search for all the blessings in that come through the breakings.  We hope to encourage and bring, love, faith, creativity and positivity to as many kids as possible. Faith and positivity are key for survival, and your support can help us save lives one bead at a time!

Love,

Niki & Lukas