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HealthSmart

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Thu, Oct 6, 2016 at 05:00 AM

Pillows for patients have ‘love’ built in

Albertville Primary students delivered some handmade ‘love’ to patients at the Marshall Cancer Care Center this week.

Teachers Renona McCullars and Emily Bender wanted to give their young students a lesson about helping others. They recruited four parent volunteers to sew three sides of small pillows. Parents then brought the pillows to school and helped students stuff them. They assisted students in stitching the open end closed. 

Then came the best part. Each child took a pillow and held it close to their heart to “give it love” they hope will be transferred to a cancer patient.


‘’Kudos to Mrs. McCullars and Mrs. Bender for teaching their children about giving to others,” says Cindy Sparkman, director of the cancer center. “They are trying to teach their students about helping others and that they don’t have to see or know who receives their gifts for the gifts to be meaningful.’’

Sparkman visited students in their classroom last week to explain what the center does and how its doctors treat cancer. When teachers brought their students to the cancer center to deliver pillows, Sparkman showed them the linear accelerator used to treat patients with radiation.


“They were all in awe of that big machine and had a number of questions about it,” she says. “It was a fun day for the students as well as our cancer center staff.” 

The 25 pillows and 25 cards made by students will be given to chemotherapy patients in a bag containing a variety of items they may need during treatment, as well as a notebook with educational materials. The pillows will be a useful addition, Sparkman says.

“They can use the pillows to put under their arms to rest them while receiving the chemo,” she says. “They may also be used as protection for their ports when wearing a seatbelt.”