#26 Reveal

Remember when I turned 26 and I did 26 RAOK's {see here} but then saved the 26th random of act of kindness to be disclosed on a future date to be decided by myself? Well, today is that day!

When I was planning my 26 RAOK's I discussed it many a times with Wendy. I confided in Wendy that above all I desperately wanted to impact someone's life for the better and give them something they could always remember. I wanted to find someone selfless and deserving. The kind of person that puts others needs above their own. Wendy, immediately listed several people she knew off the top of her head that fit that mold that were ultimately deserving of something really special. Wendy has a talent for getting to know people and recognizing what is special about each person. When she told me about Tammy I agreed that her circumstances paired with her charisma more than qualified her to be the receiver of my 26th RAOK.

Here is a little history on Tammy:

4 1/2 Years ago Tammy's husband Allen suffered a Grand Maul seizure during a church activity. Through extensive testing he was diagnosed with a large brain tumor and immediately underwent brain surgery 3 days later. He has subsequently undergone more surgeries and treatments for the tumor. Throughout treatment he has been unable to work and the family lost their business, and they are desperately trying to hang on to their current home. Even more recently Allen has started suffering from debilitating seizures more frequently and a recent scan of his brain showed new growth of the tumor just a few months ago. He has since been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. You can imagine the struggle Tammy and Allen have undergone these past years as a couple and as parents as well. Tammy spends her nights and days taking care of her sweetheart and her children with the constant companion of endless worry, hospitals stays and her continuous effort to stay optimistic. She is a very kind and charitable girl who rarely finds cause to speak negative words about anyone or anything. Tammy is always taking care of others and is the first to volunteer to serve. Taking care of herself on the other hand or doing extra girly things never makes her to-do list. Recently she also had a surgery of her own and still is awaiting the test results. I'm constantly surprised by her ever positive and strong enthusiasm for life. She truly is amazing!

I think we can all agree that Tammy is in need of some relaxation, pampering and even some glam. This is where we come in. After much planning and plotting and soliciting the help of some fabulous vendors we put together the perfect day for sweet Tammy.

Wendy picked up Tammy on a Tuesday morning and escorted her to Domestic Bliss where I met up with the two of them. Kristen generously donated a $100 gift certificate so that Tammy could shop for herself. Between the 3 of us we had a hard time narrowing it down between all of the fabulous selections at DB. Eventually Tammy was able to commit to an awesome ensemble as you can see by the smile on her face.

We then headed to Sweet Cakes just up the street for a bite to eat. Nothing better to recover from shopping than gourmet sandwiches and giant freshly baked cookies!

Our next stop was Habit Salon where Tammy was greeted by Kelsey for a cut and color consult. Tammy picked out a truffle brown hair color and a sexy cut with long layers and long bangs. I was beaming to see Tammy enjoying her time being pampered in the salon. Kelsey always does such a professional and fantastic job styling her clients and is as sweet as they come.

After Tammy's cut and color we relocated to my house where Tammy could sit back and relax while Emily bestowed the gift of Tammy's first set of glitter toes. I love that Emily makes house calls and that she is undeniably affordable and her color selection would make a rainbow shy away in jealousy. Check out the awesome lavender shade Tammy picked out for her toes!

During the glitter toes I did a makeup consult with Tammy to enhance her youthful skin and sparkling eyes. Tammy is a natural beauty but it was fun to play it up with makeup for some added glam.

We were so fortunate to have Connie B. accompany us every where we went to document the special day with her photography skills. She did a bang up job capturing the day and the effort from all the volunteers. By the end of the night Tammy was glowing with rejuvenated confidence and loveliness and lucky for us Connie was there to capture the final look.

All in all I feel that it was a successful day and my hope is that Tammy was able to enjoy just one day where she was the one being taken care of. She is such a beautiful person and she deserves even more than we were able to provide for her in such a short day. I hope she and Allen will be able to enjoy the pictures and the memory for a long time.

I really wanted to express appreciation to the sponsors who really made this day possible. Each was eager to participate and eager to give unquestioningly and without charge. To me that speaks volumes.

Thank you Kristen for the generous gift certificate to Domestic Bliss.
Thank you Kelsey for donating your time and talent on Tammy's cut, color and style.
Thank you Emily for your adding more glam to the day with your glitter toes.
Thank you Connie for spending the whole day with us photographing everything, even with your adorable pregnant belly.
Thank you Wendy for arranging everything and for introducing me to such an inspiring woman.
Thank you Tammy for touching my life.

Thank YOU for reading :)

Update: in the passing weeks of this glamorous experience Tammy and her family have received some happy news. The recent radiation treatments for Allen have been successful at keeping the tumor at bay enough for him to cease chemo for the time being. They are so delighted by this great news and so are we and we will continue to pray for them unceasingly!