Beading calms, offsets costs for cancer patient

Vickie Lankford took up beading as a way to calm her nerves after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Now, she's using it as a way to offset her medical expenses.

Lankford, a front desk receptionist for Dr. Margo Muniz, complained of back pain at work one day in February. Muniz thought it might be kidney stones and did an ultrasound; she found pancreatic cancer, and sent her immediately for a CAT scan to confirm. She began chemotherapy on Feb. 19 and, while she was still working four days a week, she started looking for a new hobby to distract her from worry.

"I was looking for something to do, so I started making jewelry," Lankford said. "I just go to Michaels, get some beads and supplies, and I've learned as I went along. I make necklaces, earrings, bracelets and watches. I decided to start selling them in April or May, when my doctor's bills started getting very high."

Both Dr. Muniz and Lankford's attending physician in Augusta agreed to host brochures for her jewelry. She took photographs of her jewelry and printed up full-color trifold brochures. Sales have gone well, she said, with some 40 to 50 pieces sold since April.

"Everybody's been buying. They call me and I'll meet them after work, and they're buying," she said. "Once I get through paying my medical bills, anything that's left over from the jewelry sales I'm going to donate to cancer research."

Lankford is now on her second round of chemotherapy; initially the cancer cells appeared to be shrinking, but at last check they had begun spreading again. If they continue to spread after this round of treatment, they will move on from oral medication to intravenous chemotherapy in November, which will render her unable to work - and make the jewelry sales more important than ever.

Lankford sells necklaces for $20 to $30, bracelets and anklets for $10 to $15, earrings for $5 per pair, watches for $25 to $35, and pet collars for $10 to $25 depending on size. She can be reached by phone at 593-2083 or 439-2779, and by e-mail at vickielynn@atlanticbb.net. Photos of her work can be seen on her Facebook page; just search for her by name.

Contact Suzanne Stone at sstone@aikenstandard.com.