October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The latest statistic according to BreastCancer.org states that “about 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime…”
My first day at Pacific Cookie Company was just about one year ago and about the same time that Norma was in the thick of her chemotherapy sessions. Norma and I had only met briefly a few times in the first couple months of my working here because she was in and out of chemo, but everyone only ever had good things to say about her. All agreed she was always upbeat, outgoing, full of life, and a genuine delight to be around. Sharon McCourt, manager at Pacific Cookie smiled as she remembered “Norma would come to work everyday looking like a million bucks, and was ALWAYS dressed to the nines!”
Norma was a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and a great friend to many people. Larry Pearson, owner of Pacific Cookie, remembers Norma as one of our strongest employees:
“She was our fastest and most efficient employee and could do more than anyone in the plant, man or woman. Norma would work really hard on a long day, go home to take care of her family, and arrive back at work the next morning with dishes of food for all to share. She was a talented cook, and made many dishes that I have never seen, and flavors I’d never tasted. She certainly made me understand that the Mexican food I had come to know did not really exist in her culture! She spoke almost no English, and I speak practically no Spanish, but she touched my heart as few have ever. Her courage, strength, boundless dedication to her beautiful children, the pride in her job, the depth of her friendships…all these things have inspired me – she really does still live in my heart.”
Although I never fully got the chance to get to know her, her dynamic presence is greatly missed by all of us at Pacific Cookie Company. So in her memory, and in an effort to raise awareness of this terribly prominent cancer, we created our Norma Gift Box to help a cause that hits close to home: we will donate $10.00 of every Norma Gift Box sold in the month of October WomenCare, a local Santa Cruz, CA organization that provides FREE cancer advocacy, resources, education, and support to women with all types of cancer. They also advocate for research into the CAUSES of cancer and strive towards providing a healthy environment for women affected by cancer first or secondhand.
We hope that you will join in our effort to raise funding for this organization.
I wanted to share another special comment from the Pacific Cookie family, from Ashley Elliott Hooten: “Norma is a special angel and her wings are bedazzled for sure!! ~ I miss her homemade pozole, fresh fruit juices and especially her smile. Her Cookie Family misses her a great deal. XOXO”