Chicago area women's group creating comfort pillows for breast cancer patients
For a woman battling breast cancer, a little bit of comfort can go a long way. A group of women in Mount Prospect in Chicago's northwest suburbs are doing their part to help patients – one pillow at a time.
Inside St. Raymond De Penafort Catholic Church, a group of women is creating pillows for breast cancer patients.
Irene Zaporowicz-Short is one of the ladies using her fingers to create the heart-shaped cushions. She's also a breast cancer survivor.
She was diagnosed in 2017. Zaporowicz-Short has been in remission and has been making these pillows for the past three years.
"If I have a friend who has been diagnosed, I will make her one," she said. "I did get a pillow when I had surgery at Lutheran General."
Once the Women of St. Raymond are done stuffing, the pillows will be donated to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and two local hospice groups.
"I walked out with a pillow, and honestly, especially when you have all of the stitches and everything else, and your seatbelt, having that softness up against the seatbelt made a huge difference."
The women of St. Raymond have been making these pillows for the past 20 years. They make 100 each year, totaling nearly 2,000 pillows.
"It's fun, and it's good because the women don't have to sew. They're just basically making knots, and that's enough," said Ginny Neugebauer.
The group of ladies do this every October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
"It makes you remember your journey and that you're still here," Zaporowicz-Short said.
The women's group takes up a monthly collection to benefit a charity. This year, donations will go to Northwest Community Hospital Foundation's "Gift-a-Mammogram" program.