The Granny Sqaud

I met the most amazing woman in New York. Her name is Barbara Zobian and she is the President of the Candlelighters of New York City. Barbara Zobian is an extremely giving person. She is a full time volunteer and works hard to make life easier for people affected by childhood cancer.
She certainly deserves the high praise and honor she recently received after winning first place in the OTTY awards. The "Our Town Thanks You" awards are given to leaders in the East Side neighborhood who "make special contributions to the greater New York City community." Barbara has co-organized the St. Baldrick's Boathouse at Central Park event for the past few years and has successfully launched Candlelighters, NYC, a branch of a national organization that supports families of children with cancer - needless to say, she keeps busy! Barbara provides support meetings, ensures the children and families touched by pediatric cancer are as comfortable as possible, and enjoys getting to know and play with the kids. She told Our Town newspaper, "New York is a magnificent place. Everyone is so helpful. Ours is a community that loves kids."

Here is one of her notes: This picture of four year old Laura and her Mom Trisha was taken yesterday. Laura came over wearing her footie pajamas, to meet me and Uno for the first time. Tonight is Trisha's 33 birthday and I have arranged for her to have a Birthday party at Maz Mezcal Restaurant, all donated. They are going with another wonderful family going through the same thing they are.Trisha said that this is the first time Laura has smiled in two weeks. How can I not do what I am doing. I am blessed to be a part of these wonderful children's lives.love,Barbara

Barbara is helping me with a new project. As a grandma to a child with cancer, Barbara and I both feel that grandma's have double duty so to speak. We have to watch our own child watch her child suffer with this monster of cancer. I have found that only grandmas with grandchildren who have cancer can understand what this life is all about. Other Grandmas are caring, loving, and sympathetic, but They Do Not Really Understand what it is like to walk in our shoes. And I pray to GOD that they never have to. As for the rest of us grandmas, we need other grandmas to share with, cry with, celebrate with, grieve with, and sometimes to just try to forget for one second that our children and grandchildren are living with this monster. So with the help of Barbara and the sponsor of Candlelighters of New York City, we are forming the GRANNY SQUAD!!!!!! CandleLighters is providing a conference call number and we would like to set up a time for all grandmas to call in at one time, to cry, laugh, celebrate, grieve, and just share the joy of being a grandma. Thank you, Barbara, for all you do for me and for our children's families. You are my inspiration. And who could not just love Uno the therapy dog!!!! Please, if you are a grandma to a child with cancer, please contact me at carolyn_wing@yahoo.com so we can get this going. I really am more than just the grandma!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.candlelightersnyc.org