It "just so happened" that Andy and I had been married for only 4 months when we received this gut-wrenching news. Poor guy! I felt so badly that he was going to have to deal with this burden so early on in our marriage. Well, God certainly knows who to put in our lives and when because not many could have stepped up to the plate like Andy did. We were both put to the test starting the last week of May in 1998 when I began my first super-tough bout with chemotherapy. I will never forget that round as nine days later we were together yanking out huge clumps of hair by the handful. It was a horrible and devastating moment when I saw myself in the mirror completely bald just moments later. Everyone tried to make me feel better, but really…what could anyone say to help that! A double mastectomy followed a month after the last chemo in July, but unfortunately, tests revealed that several of the lymph nodes had cancer in them. That meant 12 more rounds of chemo! The day after Thanksgiving we celebrated the last chemo before radiation was to start a month later for 35 days. Finally, my hair started to grow back and although my chest was flat and really concave, I started to feel normal again. In April of 1999 I had an intensive 13-hour reconstructive surgery and all in all, by late summer, I actually felt like a woman again.

We found out that we were going to have a baby! It was surreal and perfect, really like winning the lottery. We had waited so long and we were over the top with pure joy. Our first OB appointment was long and exciting! We saw the baby's heartbeat and floated out of the office on clouds, basking in this wonderfully blessed gift from our Lord. What fun it was sharing the news with our friends.

A week later our faith was tested again. The ultrasound showed a slowing heartbeat, unlikely, we were told, that the pregnancy would last. We didn't give up, though. Andy very wisely encouraged me that if this baby had the same strength and stamina that his parents have that he would make it just like us. A week later we realized God had taken our baby to heaven with Him a little earlier than we had wanted. Words cannot describe the physical pain my heart felt; truly like it was being ripped out. Again, the encouragement flowed from family and friends to try again soon and that miscarriage was not uncommon. Okay, I thought, we'll do that. First, however, I wanted to get rid of this ache in my lower back once and for all by what I thought was the pregnancy. After the D and C two days before Christmas, the pain was still there. Guess what had decided to come back and haunt me? Cancer had spread to my bone (lower sacrum to be exact) due to the fact that I was no longer on hormone therapy. Treatment required decreasing my estrogen counts since it was feeding the tumor growth. It was clear then. No kids. Ever.

I spiraled. I cannot ever remember feeling that much sickening agony and anger in my life. If God was so good, why would He do this to us!? Why did He tease us with this baby and then snatch it away only to make clear we would never get to have a child. I would never get to bake a birthday cake for my own child, never see my own child's face on Christmas morning, or hear a little voice call out "Mommy!" to me. Never. Ever.

To this day I still encounter moments of grief, but not like I used to. After months of crying, self-pity, and feelings of betrayal and bitterness, I literally thought to myself that I couldn't bear to go on anymore like this. I had to make the decision of either spending the rest of my life feeling this badly only to become bitter, resentful, and nasty, or to stop and think what GOD was trying to say to me. I fell to my bed crying and begging God for His help. I told Him that I knew His Scripture teaches us that He wants us to be happy; I just didn't know how to make that happen. For the next several months, I began to pray more fervently than ever. I studied the Bible, asked for His will and definitely for His guidance. "It just so happened" that a really strange thing started to occur. I began to feel EXCITED about my future. I wasn't exactly sure why, but I was! He was keeping me alive, surrounded with unbelievable family, friends, and securities of all kinds so there had to be something seriously awesome planned for us! I continued to pray like I had never prayed before. Months passed and I knew that at the right time He would lead me in the right direction. For the first time in over a year I realized just some of what God was doing for us. He is so perfect that He did answer our prayers for a baby. We even got to see a heartbeat! It truly is only a matter of time until we are together as a family for a perfect eternity! The fact remained clear. God needed us to take care of something important in this world right now, without any distraction and with total focus.

The series of events which followed are nothing less than miraculous to me. "It just so happened" that ideas, people, and opportunities began to fall into place, helping me know what to do and when to do it. It was here that DUNDY® was "born," and he had a mission to get started! What is a Dundy, you ask? Well, Dundy (a distant relative of Mr. Humpty Dumpty himself) is nicknamed "The Puffy Buddy With A Purpose" because he brings comfort, hope, love, and strength to anyone who might need a hug and a bit of encouragement in the form of a fluffy, comfy doll. Because my Dundy has always been my buddy, my comfort, my little hero, I decided that sharing him with others would be an encouraging thing to do. Little did I know the adventures waiting for me around the corner! Through many day-to-day trials and tribulations, it "just so happened" that a friend of mine's father was a volunteer at MDAnderson Cancer Center for Lifeline Chaplaincy Ministries in the Texas Medical Center. Not only are they a ministry that reaches out to those in need spiritually and physically, but they also reach out on an emotional level through their Compassionate Touch divisioin. It is at Lifeline Chaplaincy that I met Barry Curtis, director of operations for Lifeline. Barry became the link between a prayer and reality. I am now able to donate Dundies to patients by way of a respected and well-known chaplaincy dedicated to reaching those who are in need. How to produce, manage, and distribute Dundies became our joint effort. As with any great adventure, we learned through experience that we had a very hefty mission ahead of us; not just for those dealing with cancer, but for those dealing with any type of challenge. Many precious and generous people offered material donations, but soon the labor and demand for Dundies became more than I could handle alone. I wondered how in the world I was going to manage all of this. My prayers continued and so did the "coincidences" which followed. A fellow-church member whom I had never met before "just so happened" to sit next to me at our annual women's retreat. "It just so happened" that she overheard us talking about Dundy. "It just so happened" that she was a cancer survivor as well, and it "just so happened" that she was one of only 8 female patent attorneys in the Houston area. Well, guess who volunteered her services free of charge and what is now a registered and copyrighted trademark!-Dundy! This was so wonderful on many levels because I absolutely did not want Dundy to become just another cute toy out there. There is a true life purpose, a God-driven mission of hope and comfort to share by means of Dundy. Now, Dundy is protected! Lucky break? I don't THINK so!

As the need for Dundy became more and more apparent to me so did the need for me to start thinking in new and inventive ways. Here is where everything started to get big. I plugged along and soon this became a full-time job for me. With hard work and dedication, an incorporated company named CC Dundy, Inc. was founded. It is a for-profit company and this is why…the more money I make, the more Dundies will be produced. The more Dundies that are produced the more Dundies there are to give away! Under the direction of wise counsel, I have decided that for every 5 Dundies sold or donated, CC Dundy, Inc. will add an additional Dundy to the bundles being collected to send not only Lifeline Chaplaincy, but also Ronald McDonald House, AIDS Foundation Houston, The Houston Area Women's Center, and Star of Hope Mission! (That's 20% of all Dundies sold and donated!) WOO-HOO!!!

Foundations and corporations are also jumping on board, purchasing in larger quantities for donation and increasing the number of Dundies making it into loving, huggable arms everywhere! How exciting it is to see Dundies going to Camp Hope (sponsored and run by AIDS Foundation Houston), to The Ronald McDonald House, to children and adults throughout the medical center hospitals via Lifeline Chaplaincy, and more!

It is because of the support of thoughtful individuals, who buy one or two Dundies at a time, because of the generous corporations who can afford to purchase on a larger scale, and because of the foundations who dedicate funding for Dundy dolls that I am able to share the joy that literally thousands of Dundies have been donated to date! Only time and eventual sales will determine how this "story" ends. Like I said earlier though, I have no worries because I truly believe God is overseeing this. I pray every single day first and foremost for His will, but also for my dream of seeing Dundy bringing comfort, hope, love, and strength to people around the world! As I look back over the last 9 years, of course I know that I didn't "deserve" this-and neither does anyone else! But, I can also say with complete honesty, that I have never been this happy in my entire life!

Who knows what will "just so happen" next!? -God does!

With much love and many blessings,

Courtney Coolidge
CC Dundy, Inc.
Romans 15:13

"It just so happened" in May 2010 . . .

. . . that many years have gone by! I'm healthy, happy and continue to praise the Lord for my recovery! Here I am in Hollywood, CA going to see "Dancing With The Stars" in person! Who would've thought!

Never! Never! Never! Never give up! My God is still on the throne!

Love to all of you!!!!
Courtney