Comforting hands

Women sew quilts for the cause of children suffering from cancer

Our modern day Florence Nightingales may not walk hospital corridors in the dead of the night with lamps in their hands but their nimble fingers provide comfort to children suffering from cancer.

Five women, who are members of the Australia and New Zealand Association's (ANZA) Quilt group, use their sewing ability to design quilts for a children's cancer hospital in Sydney. In the summer, they presented their first two "ANZA quilts".

Dubai residents and Australian citizens, Angela Wood, chairperson and co-ordinator of the ANZA Quilt group, Gini Entriken, quilting expert, Heather Dwyer, quilt sewer, Jan Livingston and Jenny Cummins found that through the quilt programme they could bring joy to children and teenagers who have cancer.

Since the children can use the quilts at the ward or at home, they always have the same familiar quilt to comfort them between treatments.

"Sometimes siblings of cancer patients are also allowed to choose a quilt because they are afraid about what is happening to their brother or sister undergoing cancer treatment, or they feel neglected with lack of attention. The quilt helps provide them with comfort during a time when they are struggling with their emotions," said Heather.

The group enjoys creating designs and vivid patterns that would appeal to children, and their effort has resulted in the creation of two single bed quilts.

"We usually meet once a week at my home, during which time we cut out the fabric pieces, sew them together, and assemble the finished quilts. Each quilt takes about four-five weeks to complete depending on the difficulty of design," said Angela.

Other ANZA members show their enthusiasm and support for the group by donating fabrics for making the quilts. The highlight of their quilting programme is when the quilt is finished and they can provide photographs of it to go into the photo album from which children choose their quilts.

"We have all found this a very rewarding experience and are now planning the quilt designs and fabric for our next projects," said Angela. "It will be a bright pink one to cheer up children," added Heather.