“Love and kindness make a big difference!”

After her mom battled breast cancer, Sarah Lafave knew she wanted to become a nurse. But that wasn’t enough. When she realized there were many others who didn’t receive the support and love that her family had, she decided to do something about it . . .

Sitting in the too-big plastic chair in the too-bright medical room, six-year- old Sarah Lafave kicked her feet.

She didn’t know what breast cancer or chemotherapy were, exactly. All she knew was that her mom was sick and this medicine might save her life. Might, Sarah thought, biting her lip.

Just then, her mom, Lori, thanked the nurse and stood up.

“Ready to go to lunch?” the Newark, Delaware, mom asked Sarah and her brother Brett, eight. And suddenly, even if for only a little while, Sarah’s world seemed right again.

All for her mom

From the moment Lori was diagnosed, as much as she longed to protect Sarah and Brett, she vowed to be as honest with them as possible. She never wanted them to be blindsided.

So sometimes, Lori let them go to appointments with her. When she lost her hair, she brought Sarah along to try on wigs. “I bet this brings us more luck than Buddha’s belly!” Brett giggled, rubbing Lori’s bald head.

Blessedly, Lori went into remission. But just four years later, the cancer returned, spreading through Lori’s body.

What will we do without you, Mom? Sarah sobbed.

Still, Lori fought with everything she had. As Sarah curled up beside her in bed, she winked, “Promise me you’ll eat more than just pancakes for dinner!” And friends, neighbors and loved ones surrounded them—helping with housework; dropping off dinners; and just wrapping their arms around the family.

But during Sarah’s first week of high school, Lori lost her fight. Heartbroken and devastated, the next months were a blur of grief. Lori wasn’t there to hear about Sarah’s fi rst date. To help her pick out her prom dress. To kiss her goodbye when she headed to the University of Delaware.

Yet Sarah always felt her mom’s love. Having seen everything her mom had endured, she’d decided to study nursing. And one day, it struck Sarah, despite everything, how lucky they’d been to have so much support.

Not everybody is fortunate to have so many friends and family help them, Sarah realized. And in honor of her mom—who had often volunteered with the elderly and needy— she created Lori’s Hands ( Lorishands.org), an organization that pairs college students like herself with people battling illnesses, encouraging them and lending a hand with daily tasks.

“Mom would be proud!”

What a great idea!” Sarah’s classmates nodded. They quickly signed up as volunteers as she contacted social workers and hospitals in the area. And soon, the students were meeting patients dealing with everything from cancer to Parkinson’s disease to multiple sclerosis, making weekly visits to help with shopping, housecleaning, yard work, even dog walking.

When one 92-year- old woman with diabetes and congestive heart failure was hospitalized, her young volunteer stayed with her in the ER, talking to her doctors, taking notes and even filling her prescriptions.

“I never had any children of my own. But you are like a grandson to me!” she beamed.

For Dave Mills, who has a condition that prevents signals from being sent properly from his spine to his legs, and which also affects his speech, it’s the companionship that matters most.

“I look forward to seeing Tyler every week,” he says.

Tyler, a University of Delaware senior who helps Dave with laundry and fi xing dinner, smiles. “I defi nitely got better at cooking because of you! And we always have the best conversations.”

Psychology major Makenzi and John, a biology major, agree: Being “Lori’s Hands” for Ed Richards, who suffers from PTSD after serving America during the Cold War, is a win-win situation.

“Ed has been through a lot, and keeps going— and that keeps me going!” John admits.

“These kids listen,” explains Ed. “Every day is Christmas!”

Today, Sarah, now 28, works as an R.N., and is working toward her master’s degree in public health. And nine years since it was born, Lori’s Hands has brightened the lives of hundreds.

“Mom always believed that love and kindness can make a difference,” Sarah says. “If my mom were here, I know she’d be proud and excited that so many people are being helped in her name. That’s what makes all of this so special for me!”

What does love look like? It has the hands to others.” help SAINT AUGUSTINE