With
every stitch, a prayer - Dee Brown's Story
Around 300 women a year are
diagnosed with breast cancer at St.
John’s. Since May of 2008, each of those women has received a prayer
shawl knitted or crocheted by a volunteer.
St. John’s Auxiliary members began knitting prayer shawls in 2008
and several Springfield-area church groups have also joined the
cause. With each shawl comes a prayer card to help give spiritual
strength to patients in their times of need.
Dee Brown, who recently completed her radiation and is cancer-free,
received a prayer shawl.
“Mine was done by a lady in treatment (for cancer) who was down to
89 pounds. She was knitting it as therapy for herself,” Brown said.
“I didn’t need it every day because I am generally a positive
person. But when I did need it, I’d get out my gospel CDs and wrap
the shawl around me.”
Because Brown’s shawl was knitted by a fellow cancer patient, it has
special meaning to her. But the spiritual significance is meaningful
as well.
“I can’t explain the way it made me feel
other than it felt like God’s arms were wrapped around me, along
with that little lady who knitted it,” Brown said. “It was a comfort
and gave a feeling that everything was going to be OK. It meant more
to me than I realized.” Brown
plans to join the knitting group at her church to pass a prayer
shawl on to someone else.
St. John’s Auxiliary began the prayer shawl program in 2008. It was
a project of the Missouri Association of Hospital Auxiliaries, a
group that is part of the Missouri Hospital Association. St. John’s
has several volunteers who only knit. In fact, each shawl counts
toward 40 hours of volunteering. Volunteers need 48 hours per
quarter to qualify for benefits such as discounts at the pharmacies,
gift shops and St. John’s Fitness Centers and meal stipends in the
St. John’s Hospital cafeteria.
“We could use more knitters,” says Auxiliary Director Molly Holtmann.
“We have patterns for knitting or crocheting for anyone looking to
get started.”
Proceeds from a recent Auxiliary book sale bought yarn for knitters
to use, though volunteers can also donate their own yarn.
The shawls are distributed by St. John’s Radiation Oncology, St.
John’s Clinic-Cancer Hematology and St. John’s Clinic-General &
Specialty Surgery-Fremont, depending on where the patient is
diagnosed and treated. St. John’s Breast Center coordinates the
distribution.
For more information on becoming a knitter, contact St. John’s
Auxiliary at 820-2041 or St. John’s Breast Center at 820-2500.