Page 48 - Jan Sun Rays
P. 48
The Gift
of Warmth
PHOTOS BY SHERRY MCRAE
Founded in 2011, Linda’s Hugs provides volunteer-made blankets to Georgetown-area cancer patients.
Pictured above (left to right): Kewie True, Mary Toenges, Corrine Hillert, Barb Bigger and Pat Prudhom.
By Mike Gullickson Founded in 2011, Linda’s Hugs is now treatment left Linda shivering with cold.
partnered with and serves as the Recalling an article she had read about
Igrew up in the frozen Midwest - Wis- Austin chapter of the Wrapped in Love the Wrapped in Love Foundation, Pat
consin to be exact. There, the cold Foundation. gathered some friends to help make a
spells set in about late September and blanket to relieve Linda’s discomfort.
lasted until early June. I expect that illnesses. The Sun City based group was Their friend was overwhelmed by the
many of you have experience with icicles, first assembled in 2011 by resident Pat gesture, and the group was happy to
shoveling snow and the joy of walking in Prudhom after her friend and neighbor, have found a way to give comfort to
snow drifts on your way to school. Per- Linda, was diagnosed with terminal can- their dear friend. Though Linda sadly
haps you also experienced the blizzards. cer. The chemotherapy was difficult, and passed away a mere three months after
Often appearing with little warning, her diagnosis, the founding of Linda’s
these devastating winter storms strike Hugs has allowed the warmth of her
fast and hard. Blizzards can cover en- friendship to live on.
tire cities with snow in just a few short
hours, bringing the world to an abrupt Each month, Linda’s Hugs volunteers
halt as whiteouts obscure roads, winds produce approximately ten fleece blan-
topple powerlines and cold works its way kets, which are assembled from no-sew
into every crevice of your home. In one of kits. They kits are simple enough that
these tremendous storms, it can be hard even I could do them, and I’m about as
not to feel isolated, vulnerable and above crafty as a 500 pound gorilla. Every
all else, really, really cold. blanket is accompanied by a handmade
card and gift tag, courtesy of the Sun
In a way, those battling cancer are fight- City Texas Scrapbooking and Card Mak-
ing to survive their own personal bliz- ing Clubs, all of which is put into purple
zards, especially during the long hours tote bags provided by the Wrapped in
of chemotherapy. But when the chill sets Love Foundation. As you can see, there
in, patients can find warmth in Linda’s is quite a lot of warmth going into every
Hugs. one of the blankets made by the group.
Once completed, blankets are distributed
Linda’s Hugs is a branch of the Wrapped free of charge to patients at Georgetown
in Love Foundation, a not-for-profit dedi- Oncology, St. David’s Hospital and Dell
cated to providing handmade blankets to
those battling cancer and other serious ONLINE: SCTEXAS.ORG
46 | SUNRAYS JANUARY 2016
