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Handmade hearts knit families closer together

Families unable to visit relatives nearing the end of their lives are being given handmade knitted hearts to remember them by. Visiting restrictions during the Coronavirus outbreak mean many patients and their families are separated at the worst possible time, but staff at UHNM are trying to ease the pain by giving each family a special keepsake. Matching pairs of knitted hearts are given to the patient and their family, so that people can feel more connected with their relatives. Donations of the hearts have been pouring in from members of the public, even travelling from as far away as Scotland.

Swindon-based nurse Laura Kirby-Deacon first launched the appeal for people to send small handcrafted hearts to patients with Covid-19 and their families. 

Deputy Associate Chief Nurse Julie Cumberlidge, who works in the renal department at Royal Stoke, spotted the potential of the initiative and has now introduced it at UHNM.

Julie said: “Having something to touch and hold and knowing that their relative had the exact matching thing with them during the last hours of their life is very special and we think it will help people to process their grief. This idea started small but has quickly grown very big! It’s such a lovely thing and we think it has the potential to bring comfort to families at a time of great distress. We are now working very hard to make sure that any end-of-life patients and their family receive a pair of hearts. We’ve been receiving all sorts of designs, from knitted to very flowery cloth patterns to rainbow designs. People have been so generous and have even donated materials such as wool and stuffing, it’s been very rewarding to see and we know it will have a positive effect on patients and their families.”

The hearts are posted to each family, who also receive a small greetings card which has been designed and written by staff at the hospital. Each heart is tagged with a special ‘Made with love’ label.

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