Heart Pillow Project
by the Health Team with reports from Georgia Kallis, AWO Greece and Ann de Simoni, AIWC of Genoa
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and several FAWCO clubs participate in the Heart Pillow Project; here is news from two of them.
Georgia Kallis reported that AWO Greece has been sewing, stuffing, and delivering their AWOG Heart Pillows since 2007 and continues to do so. On October 20, 2019, members, friends, daughters and granddaughters of AWO Greece, gathered for their annual Heart Pillow Marathon and successfully stitched, stuffed and packaged 180 Heart Pillows for distribution to mastectomy patients in Athens public hospitals.
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AIWC of Genoa has been sewing the heart pillows now for exactly 10 years. Ann de Simoni says, "Sometimes we come across a project that’s truly special: a project that not only helps someone going through a tough time, but also sends a message of love and support. Such is the case with this Helping Heart Mastectomy Breast Cancer Heart-Shaped pillow.
The number of women who are having the surgery is phenomenal. It’s just hard to believe. The pillow, which fits comfortably under the armpit, can ease the pain of surgical incision, protect against accidental shocks, help relieve edema and reduce shoulder tension. Pillows are given to patients immediately after surgery to help them regain their strength.
When we first started sewing the pillows, we looked for sponsors who wanted to help in buying cushion materials as well as covering costs of promotion and organization of events. Sewing would take various forms, from small to large meetings, through sewing in companies by volunteers and private individuals.
A few years later our board decided to add a line to our budget, and we now have a 400 euro budget for materials. Often cotton material is donated, but the stuffing is a bit expensive and then, of course, the pillows must be packaged.
The AIWC of Genoa group has about 12 ladies who volunteer for this project. We sew about 300 pillows a year, and for the past two years we have also provided 300 drainage bags (lightweight shoulder bags to carry drainage equipment)."
The Health Team hopes other clubs will consider this worthy project and start stitching and stuffing too!