It all started with a gift and a special note.
April Sather had just undergone surgery for her breast cancer and was struggling to sleep at night. She would spend the night tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable. “I’m a side sleeper, so that is kind of an issue,” she said when describing her sleeping troubles.
One day she received a gift from a friend: a heart-shaped pillow made with soft flannel that was light pink with beautiful clouds across it. Sather was able to tuck it under her arm and sleep comfortably throughout the night. This gift, combined with a lovely note from one of her nurses after surgery, inspired Sather to want to do the same for others.
“I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if we could make heart-shaped pillows for other breast cancer patients so that after they get out of surgery, they could feel that same love that I received?’” Sather said. “I shared the idea with a few ladies at church, and the rest is history.”
Healing Hearts Ministry at Warren Belvedere Church now meets once a month to sew, stuff, pray, write notes and package up the hearts to be delivered to patients with breast cancer across the CSRA. There is no commitment, and volunteers are welcome to take the materials with them if they prefer to work in the comfort of their own homes.
“It makes me feel like I’ve done something that’s worthy of helping someone else go through a hard time in their life,” volunteer Susan Elliot shared about each time the group finishes a pillow to be delivered to a patient.
Elliot is one of the women who answered Sather’s call for help with her idea. While she has no personal experience with breast cancer, she is a seamstress and was more than happy to use her knowledge and experience with sewing for the program.
Healing Hearts provides the sewing pattern, fabric and fluff needed to create the pillows, so all that volunteers have to bring are their hands and good spirits. Sometimes the group welcomes speakers during the meetings; in fact, they celebrated their first anniversary by inviting a Wellstar Georgia Cancer Center patient and breast team nurse navigator to come and share their story.
If you would like more information or to make a donation to assist the program, visit the church’s website, select the Belvedere campus, then make the message out to April Sather or Susan Elliot. You can also get in touch through the church’s Facebook page.
