IMPROVING THE LIVES OF ADULT CYSTIC FIBROSIS PATIENTS

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​CHRONOLOGY 

• January, 2016 - We hit the 100 bag milestone, and deliver our first group of refill bags.
  
• Late 2015 - Using generous donations, we delivered 50 more bags to patients.  The reaction continues to be very positive, further reinforcing our belief in Jessica's mission.
• September, 2015 - We had a great team help us assemble the first group of "Spiritus Bags".  We delivered the first round of 25 bags to the volunteer staff at UNC Hospitals.  We were fortunate to have the opportunity to deliver the first bag to the first recipient ourselves.  Her reaction was priceless! She confirmed that the concept and the contents were on target.  She also provided quite a bit of feedback on other items that would be useful in the next round of bags.  Even the nurses commented on what a great idea this is. What a beautifully emotional day it was! Thanks to everyone who contributed ideas, time and/or donations to make this possible.  Jessica would be pleased...
  
  
• August, 2015 - Almost there!  Bags, blankets, scented wallflowers, slippers, and other goodies to make regular hospital admissions for adult CF patients more tolerable are nearing completion.  We hope to distribute the first set of 25 "admission" bags to adult CF patients at UNC Memorial Hospital in September.  We'll get some feedback on this first round of bags, make any necessary tweaks, then start the process of assembling another 250 bags for the core adult CF patient population who are regularly admitted to UNC Memorial Hospital.  Then, we'll need to do the same for the "refills" needed for each subsequent admission.  The initial cost of the admission bags is estimated at $25,000 (at about $100 per bag), and the subsequent refill cost is estimated at about $20,000 annually.  In the meantime, here is a picture of the admission bag contents:.
  

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• May, 2015 - Spiritus Project is registered as a charitable organization with Amazon Smile, which means a portion of every purchase made by  a registered Amazon user goes to Spiritus Project.  You can enable this giving mechanism by clicking here, then start any Amazon purchase at smile.amazon.com.
  
  
• April, 2015 - Spiritus Project participates in the annual Charlotte-based Wells Fargo charity golf tournament to raise awareness for cystic fibrosis.
  
  
• March, 2015 - Planning is underway for our first project- a “Spiritus Admission Bag” provided to cystic fibrosis patients upon hospital admission.  Typical admissions for cystic fibrosis patients are 2-3 weeks in duration, which is long enough that patients start to miss home.  Jessica liked to bring certain things from home to make her stay a little more pleasant. Her caregivers always commented on how much they liked taking care of Jessica, in part because her room always looked and smelled nice.  So, we’re planning for “Spiritus Bags” with matching pillowcase and blanket, fragrant wallflower, slippers, and a few personal items to make them feel a little pampered.
  
  
• March 20, 2015 - Notified of official designation as a 501c3 charity with tax exempt status, effective March 2, 2015. 
  
  
• January 31, 2015 - Launch of Spiritus Project mission and website at Jessica's Celebration of Life.
  
  
• June, 2012 - For her birthday, Jessica gets a personalized "Spiritus" tag for her car.
  
  
• Early 2012 - Jessica begins planning for the 2012 Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides event using the name "Team Spiritus".  This is the first appearance of the Spiritus name and the starfish logo.  ​​​