Quilt #57 Pamela Evans donated by Toni Martin

This quilt touched a few hands on it's way to Pamela. The fabric and pattern were a Christmas gift to me from my daughter Michaela. Then while it was being cut out, my dear friend Toni Martin offtered to finish it. I wan't sure where it was supposed to go until I was talking to my Sister in Law, Eileen Tate. She told me about her dear friend Pam who was battling cancer. The beauty of this project for me is the clarity of thought when the recipients are selected. Sometimes the quilt recipient is known in advance and sometimes, the quilt is finished and we wait for inspiration to see who it belongs to.

Here is Pamela's story written in her words:

Last Friday I was on my way to my second chemo treatment feeling pretty down and anxious about it. My first round of chemo was pretty rough on me so I was not looking forward to the second. As we were leaving my dear friend Eileen Tate told me to expect a package. We stopped at the mailbox on our way and the package was there so I decided to open it before my treatment. Inside was my beautiful quilt and the letter about The Duncan Project! I was in tears as I went into my appointment with renewed spirit and strength.

My story started in November 2017. I had been noticing for a while I wasn't feeling very well. At Thanksgiving I wasn't up to making dinner so we decided as a family to go to a restarant instead of making a big meal at home. My energy was fading quickly and I just wasn't feeling right. I had extreme pain in my upper abdomen and it was making it hard for me to sleep. I finally went to the doctor, and after spending the majority of the first part of December in every  kind of scanning machine they had, it was discovered that I had a very large tumor in my upper abdoment. I was lead through many special hands especially I believe my Heavenly Father's hand to an amazing group of very specialized surgeons. 

My surgery ultimately took place on December 29th. After 7 hours, 3 surgeons together ended up removing the 11 centimeter tumor, my right kidney, adrenal gland, gallbladder, part of my liver, repair work to my diaphragm and grafting my Vena Cava artery with a stint. The vein was so damaged by the tumor that it wasn't getting blood flow to my legs and was the reason I had been so dizzy and walking so poorly. Dispite the extensive surgery, finally after 11 days in the hospital I wa able to come home with the diagnosis that my tumor was in fact Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

It has been a rough road but the love and unbelievable kindness that has been shown to me by so many takes my breath away. I am so, so blessed. The doctors have given me a hopeful prognoses and I can't wait for the end of my treatments in July.

The Duncan Project Quilt is just proof of my continued blessings during my difficult journey with "Love in Stitches" from those who do not even know me. Thank you dear ones. I will cherish it always.

Pam, we are so glad the quilt provided a measure of comfort. So grateful that you are a part of The Duncan Project.

Quilt #56 Amanda Weston

Quilt #56 was presented to Amanda (and David) Weston.
Amanda is my daughter and her Dad and I often talked about what a great mother she would be. Amanda was 10 when her sister was born and she spent many years caring for her younger sister and brother.

Amanda and David married in 2012 and after a brief period of time decided to start a family. After 5+ years and four rounds of IVF, Amanda and David will have their first child, a little girl, in April.

Through these trials and disappointments, they have both exhibited great faith and perseverance. They have truly learned what it means to "wait upon the Lord."

It makes me think of the scripture in Samuel, where Hannah says, "For this child I prayed, and the Lord hath given me my petition which I ask of him." This child has been the subject of much prayer and we share her parents joy and excitement as she joins our family.

There is Grandma love in the stitches....

Quilt #55 Janelle Rafferty

Quilt #55 was presented to Janelle Rafferty. Janelle is my niece by marriage and has always been one of my family favorites. She has a great design eye and many years ago she introduced me to Feng Shui. She has a keen mind and a great sense of humor. If she recommends a book or movie, I will always check it out.

Last December Janelle was experiencing significant pain. They had scanned earlier for tumors and found nothing but only 10 days later, the tests showed a number of very fast growing tumors. To date she has completed 4 rounds of chemo and is continuing to receive additional treatment. The chemo is proving to be effective and she remains hopeful that she will soon be cancer free.  

We had a very interesting conversation about empathy. Her observations reminded me to be more thoughtful and resist the urge to offer unsolicited advice. Just having a safe place to express your true feelings can be so helpful.

I am also so impressed with her continued strength and faith in the midst of her trials. She inspires me.

I love this amazing woman and pray for her comfort and healing. There is love in the stitches for my dear friend Janelle.