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East Rockingham Seniors Donate Caps for Chemotherapy Patients
By rhildebrand @ 12:56 PM :: 597 Views :: Syndicated Articles
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Contact: Debra Thompson
Director, RMH Corporate Communications
540-564-5886
Juanita Barker, an East Rockingham Senior
Citizens participant, talks with RMH Oncology
Services Manager Tracey Gentry about the chemo
caps the senior group donated to the RMH Cancer
Center. |
Chemotherapy patients at the RMH Cancer Center are benefiting from the handiworks of the East Rockingham Senior Citizens, who recently donated more than 100 hand-crocheted and knitted caps for patients who experience hair loss.
Patients who undergo chemotherapy treatments often lose their hair, explained Tracey Gentry, Oncology Services manager for the Cancer Center. Many wear hats to keep their heads warm and protected against the elements, she said.
“These women did a spectacular job,” said Gentry. “It means a lot for our patients to come in and pick out something that’s so original. Each cap represents the gift of time. It means so much for our patients to see that people in the community think about them.”
It all began when participant Juanita Barker agreed to crochet a cap for a friend’s sister who was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. Soon Barker enlisted friends to knit and crochet more.
The women initially set a goal of 50 caps, but quickly surpassed that amount. They upped their goal to 100 caps and soon surpassed that goal, too. At a recent presentation held at the Elkton center, the group donated 109 chemo caps to RMH.
The women took special care to launder each cap in hypoallergenic detergent and package each one individually, Barker said.
“This project was a way to give back to the community,” she said. “We have a lot of people from RMH coming to the senior center volunteering their time and giving talks. This was our chance to give back, not just to the hospital, but the whole community.”
She, along with senior center members Ella Broscious, Elaine Kohlman, Lois McCulley, Illean Nicol, and Wanda Hinkle, and JMU nursing student Jennifer Marinacci, completed the caps.
Lisa Gooden, director of the East Rockingham Senior Citizens, said it was rewarding to watch the creative project unfold.
“It was pretty exciting,” she said. “This was such a worthy project, and it just warmed everybody’s heart. I think people who receive these caps will realize there was time and love put into it.”
The East Rockingham Senior Citizens, a part of Valley Program for Aging Services, includes about 40 participants who meet at the East Rockingham Community Center in Elkton on Mondays and Wednesdays. For more information about the group, call Valley Program for Aging Services at 540-383-7006.
The RMH Cancer Center opened in 1990 and serves about 1,400 patients monthly receiving treatment for cancer and blood disorders.
More resources for those undergoing chemotherapy or those who have experienced disfigurement are available at the RMH Image Recovery Center, including wigs, prostheses and specially formulated makeup. For information, call 540-437-8492.
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