Monday, December 20, 2010

Hearts

After my son, Adam, had open heart surgery to replace his damaged aortic valve, he was given a heart shaped pillow, similar to this one,  in ICU. 
 The pillow became his constant companion for several weeks after the surgery. He used it to support and protect his chest and incision. The simple handmade pillow was invaluable in his recovery.
 Because we are so thankful to the person who handcrafted the heart, my daughter-in-law, Kodie, hosted a pillow making party on Saturday. Four of us worked for several hours, in assembly line fashion, to turn out some hearts of our own.
 I brought along my Singer featherweight machine to sew together fourteen pairs of hearts cut from fabric we had gleaned from our stashes.
 My daughter, Megan and other daughter-in-law, Lauren, cut out the pillows and helped turn and stuff them. Kodie, Adam's wife did all the hand stitching.

 Today, Kodie will be hand delivering the hearts to the hospital for future patients. It was a fun morning and a wonderful way to give back, in just a small way, to the hospital in response to the gratitude we feel for Adam's miraculous recovery and survival. 
                                                               We love you, Adam!

11 comments:

  1. What an awesome thing. You have a very special family.

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  2. thanks so much for coming! i can't wait to deliver them today!!

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  3. What a beautiful thing to do! You are all so thoughtful... truly showing the rest of us how to bless others through what we've been given, and often take for granted. Bless each of you!

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  4. I love this, Carla. Is there a particular template that should be used? I have some stuffing and fabric that I'd like to use to make some of these. Let's talk.

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  5. what a lovely way to give to others and spend time with the ones you love at the same time!

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  6. Sounds awesome to do this with your daughter and daughter-in-laws!! I can just see all the laughing, fun food, and stories being told. That is definitely a memory to write down in the legacy book!!

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  7. Beautiful and hart warming story. Sharing love and hope.

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  8. That is such a wonderful story and I love how you were able to give back. I'm so glad your son is recovering well!

    Jennifer :)

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  9. I hope Adam continues to be doing well. These pillows are also very handy for women going through mastectomy surgery, really useful for any thoracic surgeries actually. What a wonderful story and I am happy for you and your family. Thanks for sharing.
    Jane

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  10. My husband is home recovering from Open Heart - and recieved such a pillow~ it's been a God -send! .. mostly because he is not well behaved, and we use it to keep him from hurting himself when he has the urge to get up improperly; the ride home to hug while he coughed as well as to protect from the seat belt ...
    ~ THANKS! especially to Nikki, who brought us a pillow ~ it's been a great comfort!

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