The Quilt of Life

We received this e-mail from a customer on Mar 03, 2003;

"Your quilt hanger is beautiful. It is now displayed at Cincinnati Children's Hospital in a beautiful display case. I have attached pictures of it and the story that hangs beside it. The little girl in the picture is my little granddaughter Asia. She received a heart transplant on her first birthday, just days before she was expected to die. The quilt was donated to the hospital on the second anniversary of her transplant.
Each bear on the body of the quilt represents a child that was saved by receiving a heart transplant at Children's. At the time the quilt was donated (12/23/02) there were 21 bears. Asia was number 10, (bears are added easily to little heart beads sewn into the quilt, the bears hook on by curtain hooks, each family is invited to decorate their own bear).
I wanted to share with you the purpose of your quilt hanger and its final destination."
Dawn Miller and Asia

Next month, Asia will be five and from what Dawn tells us, she is doing remarkably well. The quilt is continuing to hang at the Children's hospital and parents continue to dress the little bears for their children undergoing transplants.
The following story hangs beside the Quilt of Life.

The Story of the Quilt of Life

There is only one real and true Quilt of Life and it is a work in progress. The quilt is a beautiful menagerie of individual lives coming together, bringing with them their own uniqueness, filled with flaws, imperfections, and heartache. The master quilt maker uses threads of love, hope, faith, charity, and compassion to connect the fabrics of life using each uniqueness to compliment and bring out the beauty of the fabrics around them. Through the stitches of faith, lives are sewn together that otherwise would never have touched, creating an ever growing masterpiece of unmatched depth and beauty.

This representation of the Quilt of Life is donated in gratitude for all the individuals whose combined efforts came together to save the life of each child represented on this quilt; in gratitude for the researchers, the physicians, nurses, and therapist; in gratitude for Cincinnati Children's Hospital and the Heart Center; in gratitude for the Life center and in special gratitude for the donor families who showed the best of humankind by exhibiting compassion, kindness, and love beyond measure during their times of greatest suffering and loss.

The Bears

The "In Memory Of" bear represents the beloved children who died while waiting to receive the gift of life.

The "In Honor Of" bear represents the donors, the beloved children whose families made the decision to save the lives of other children by making the decision to donate the gift of life.

The bears in scrubs represent the surgeons whose skills, training, and dedication brought to reality all the promises the gift of life represents.

The bears in lab coats represent the medical team whose vigilance and expert care safe guards the life of each child who has received a donor heart of CCHMC.

The remaining bears each represent the life of a child who has received a heart transplant at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. The gift of a new heart has given each of these children the opportunity to live and experience life. The gift of life brings joy from sorrow and life from death. The gift of life replaces anguish and grief with love, life, hope and happiness. It is truly the greatest and purest gift that can be given.

Last update: November 2008