I am so thankful for modern medicine. I often forget that not everyone can receive it because it’s just too expensive. There are families who can barely pay for life-saving cancer treatments for their kids, let alone the little extras, like hats to cover their little bald heads.
This little cutie pie is my neighbour, Luke. He was diagnosed with leukemia a year ago. I can’t even begin to tell you the emotions behind that statement, so I’ll move on to the point of this particular post, which you may have already guessed: hats.
Do you see that knitted hat on his head? I made it, of course. You may have seen the pattern for the horns. It’s called Mighty Warrior.
Luke has a really great collection of hats now. He hasn’t been bald for the whole last year, but he has lost his hair twice. He doesn’t like losing his hair.
Four year olds aren’t supposed to lose their hair.
Anyway, his mom, Sarada, found out that the oncology kids in Quito, Ecuador need hats. And because of Luke, and because of who she is, she decided that those kids should have hats. They shouldn’t have to walk around bald on top of everything else that they have to deal with.
So, her goal is to collect 1000 hats and send them all down to Quito for the kids. She found a charitable organization there that is actually trying to collect hats (started by one of the moms, I think), and they will put the hats in little packages for each child.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to knit hats. Or to spread the word to people who can knit hats. Or to just remember to pray for these kids and their families who are facing years of cancer treatments. (Having leukemia is vastly different than having a localized form of cancer. The treatments involve an intensive regimen of chemos, steroids, lumbar punctures, blood transfusions, needles, surgeries, and pain medication for about a year, then a slightly-less intense repeat for another couple years. It’s crazy.)
Even if you can’t knit for the kids in Quito, Ecuador, I’m sure there are some kids growing up in an oncology ward near you who would love a really cool hat knit just for them. Many hospitals are glad to take donations of new, washable, soft, extremely fun hats for the kids in their care.
And many kids love dressing up as warriors and fairy princesses, even when they’re sick.
Have you knit chemo hats before? What are your favourite patterns?
