Handmade Hearts for Hospice
What a beautiful and heart-warming story of the community coming together.
We put a call out a few weeks ago for knitted or crocheted hearts, and we were overwhelmed with the response. A lovely lady, Denise Moore rallied around and aimed to get 40 people to knit 40 hearts, totalling 1,600 hearts.
In total, Denise dropped around 5,500 hearts off to us!! THANK YOU SO MUCH to each and every person who took the time to support us.
These hearts mean more than we will ever know to our patients and their families. The nurses will give one each of the pairs of hearts to the family member and one to the patient in the last few days of life.
Denise herself gave a lovely explanation of why she wanted to help; "They really do mean so much to those that receive them, they are offered to everyone, and it’s been so nice to hear the lovely stories from people that asked for the pattern saying they wanted to give back. Some people, in the emotion of the time said they forgot they had it until they reached in their pocket or their bag, and they feel so grateful to have something to hold onto.
I make them with a little hanging loop, and people hang them on a picture or in their car or on memorial trees, some have said they hang theirs on the Christmas tree, others keep them in their purse or next to the bed. People place them on the pillows with their loved one and leave, and take the other back for people unable to be there, people have said it's such a lonely feeling walking away from someone you’ve just lost, yet that little heart makes it feel a little less empty.
I had some of the little gifting bags donated and some stickers, half of the donated hearts were from the UK crochet group I’m part of with some saying they will approach their local Hospice to see if they can continue the initiative there. One lady hadn’t crocheted since she lost her husband in May and wanted something little to get back into so I suggested the hearts, and she was so happy."
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