TRACY M .
The From the Heart Pillow Project began in 2008 when an AWCH member was diagnosed with breast cancer and a heart pillow was made for her . Beth G . hosted the first pillow-making sessions , donating 25 pillows to the Brustkrebsklinik in Lüneburg .
In 2012 , I took on the organization with Susan S . -W. as the hospital liaison . Our first major donation of 102 pillows was in March 2013 to the Mammazentrum Hamburg am Krankenhaus Jerusalem in Eimsbüttel . Coco-Mat International , a bedding and mattress shop in Blankenese , offered their support by organizing a fundraiser to sew and donate one heart pillow for every Coco-Mat pillow bought .
In 2014 , 47 AWCH-produced pillows were also donated to the Mammazentrum , but we were told that they had a group already sewing for them . In 2015 , the Heart Pillow Project found Helios Mariahilf , a hospital south of the Elbe in Harburg . The unit leader , Heidi Schönheit , welcomed our first donation of 60 pillows with open arms .
Now known as the From the Heart Pillow Project ( FtHPP ), we meet as a group regularly in my home for “ Open House Working Bees ” where members are welcome to come and go as needed . There are usually 9-10 women cutting , sewing , ironing , and stuffing heart pillows . Jess M . joined as a support to the organization team . In 2018 , Frau Schönheit asked us to add drainage bottle bags to our repertoire , to which we gladly agreed . To date , we have donated over 250 bottle bags and 550 heart pillows .
In 2020 , member Nina Thimm entered the FtHPP in her company ’ s volunteerism contest and , as a finalist , we were awarded a € 1000 prize ! We bought materials and sent our sewing machines for spa treatments .
Feedback from our members is meaningful . Shelly S . says , “ Before working on the heart pillows , I did not have any sewing skills . I learned so much , but more importantly , it is so rewarding to help others who are suffering .” WangDi S . adds , “ The dedication and humor from AWCH members on the Heart Pillow Project are infectious . I enjoy their energy and camaraderie while working side by side with them . I will always remember when Tracy shared the email from one of the breast cancer patients in which she expressed her appreciation and gratitude for our work . The moment brings joy to me , knowing our contribution makes a difference to cancer patients . This reaffirms the value of the project and strengthens my commitment to it .” We also hear feedback from patients : “ I am absolutely delighted with your drainage bags and pillows . They are very , very pretty ,” and “ The pillow was very cozy and nice and made me sleep better . The pocket for the bottle was also very helpful , and I used it regularly . Thanks for arranging this for ill women ; this lets us feel recognized and important so that we recover soon .” And this alone is why we do what we do .
SnB makes pompoms for the Fun Run
30 Special Theme : Our Club Through the Years