Creating Comfort

What do you get when you combine over 200 people, 3 sites, 8 hours, 540 yards of fleece, and 30 pairs of Fiskar Scissors over two years? You get a community event that brings together people from all walks of life with one goal – to bring comfort to new donor families.

The Creating Comfort Blankets Party event began in 2019 as a collaborative effort between Donate Life Coalition of Michigan and the Michigan Donor Family Council. In this event’s first two years, over 215 attendees at three sites helped to create 135 comfort blankets and donate an additional 115 comfort blankets.

The words of donor mom, Renee Menefield from Harrison Township, Michigan, eloquently express the impact comfort blankets have on donor families. “In 2009, my 8-year-old daughter passed away due to a massive brain aneurysm. We chose to donate the gift of life to bless others. The comfort blanket we received was placed over our precious daughter in her final moments, and it brings me the utmost peace and comfort still to this day. So, I speak from unfortunate personal experience that these blankets bring joy to donor families.”

MDFC’s well established comfort blanket donation program has been extremely successful since its inception over 12 years ago. These comfort blankets are lovingly provided by Gift of Life Michigan’s Donor Services department to new donor families at the time of their loved one’s passing and often become a treasured keepsake for the family. When the inventory of available comfort blankets dips below a given level, MDFC will send out a donation request for more comfort blankets to all of its volunteers and supporters. It was such a request that prompted the development of this event and on February 14, 2019 the inaugural Creating Comfort Blankets event was held at Art Moran Buick GMC in Southfield, MI.

“I would love to make some comfort blankets in honor of my special brother who gave life (big donor of blood) and in death,” said Tina Darling, donor sister from Schoolcraft, Michigan. “When I miss him more than normal it gives me comfort knowing he helped someone who couldn’t see their children or grandchildren, the beauty of the fall colors, or the lake’s sparkle… they can see it through my brother’s eyes. He so loved the beauty of nature! I love to crochet, so now I have a reason. Each stitch of a comfort blanket will be made with memories of fun times with my big brother, Tim.”

Our Creating Comfort Blanket Party is open to the public and free to attend. Volunteers, supporters and attendees come from all walks of life with varying levels of Fiskar scissor experience. Some are transplant recipients who want to do all they can to support donor families as they are grateful for the gift of life that they were given. Some are donor families who want to reach out and provide comfort to new donor families who are experiencing the same agonizing grief that they experienced with the loss of their loved one. Some work in the donation community and just want to aide in providing comfort to new donor families. Some are not connected to the donation community personally or professionally and just want to help create something that will comfort others. All food, drink, fleece and supplies were provided by MDFC, DLCM and generous sponsors. The attendees are only asked to share their hearts, hands and time to create no-sew fleece comfort blankets for new donor families.

The Fiskar Scissors are a vital component in creating the no-sew fleece blankets. The fleece is cut into 2-yard segments. A patterned segment is paired with a matching solid segment and trimmed. 4”x4” corners are cut out and 1” strips are cut along each side of the paired fleece. Each patterned strip is lovingly tied to its matching solid strip. Once all the matched strips are tied, the resulting no-sew fleece blanket is carefully folded and tied with a ribbon. A sweet note is attached which expresses both the deep appreciation for the gift of life which has just been given but also to embrace the new donor family who receives this blanket and to let them know that they are not alone.

The gift of life is a precious gift that is honored both by all who are waiting to receive a transplant and even more so by those graced with that selfless gift from another. Without donors’ selfless gifts of life, sight and mobility, the hope of a second chance at life would be lost. Creating comfort blankets for new donor families provides an inspiring and heartwarming experience for all involved.