The idea of Lifting Hearts started when Wendy Wheeler, the good friend of Together Against Breast
Cancer’s founder, visited her in Rochester, Minnesota as she was going through chemotherapy.
Wendy had been a nurse for 24 years and loved taking pictures everywhere she went in Minnesota.
She then turned them into beautiful cards. During the visit, she decided to gift her beautiful cards to
Together Against Breast Cancer (TABC) and its founder. The founder was very touched, so she
started wondering what to do with these cards to benefit cancer patients in Rochester.

As a cancer patient herself, the founder thought how powerful and uplifting it would be, while sitting
in a chemo chair or having radiation, to receive a card with encouraging messages created by young
kids. This had not only power to give a patient a smile and fuel to keep fighting, but also to teach
kids kindness and compassion. As a result, Lifting Hearts was born as an outreach project in which
elementary and middle school children create or personalize greeting cards for cancer patients who
are in the midst of chemo and radiation treatments. Also, parents can get involved by encouraging
their kids to write to cancer patients.

As part of Lifting Hearts, a special effort will be made on TABC’s part to distribute the cards in cancer
patients’ treatment areas. Kids will be encouraged to write the cards in their native languages.
Whatever language it may be, TABC will make the effort to translate.