Thank you for the opportunity to share our mission with you.

Beads of Courage are tiny works of art that are given with purpose and intention by a medical professional as a dose of narrative medicine. As a child’s bead collection grows, so does their personal story of courage. It is through the medium of beads that a place is given for the emotional journey to be soaked up and their story told.

When a child is diagnosed with a chronic illness their strand begins. Over the course of their medical journey a unique glass bead is added to recognize every event they endure. For example, a black bead for a needle poke, white for a round of chemotherapy, yellow for a night spent in the hospital away from the comforts of home. For the more difficult milestones, a handmade lampwork bead is received.

Beads of Courage-Canada, based in Calgary, Alberta, was established in 2011 to serve the children, families and clinicians of Canada. The federally registered not for profit charity has grown to serve 6,250 children in 11 hospitals with 33 unique programs.