A delivery of ‘comfort pillows’ was recently made to the Praxair Cancer Center of Danbury Hospital by members of the Ridgefield Woman’s Club. Shown, left to right, are Joanne Ballerini RN, Praxair patient navigator, who accepted the pillows, with Joan Stefura and Karen Heidinger of the club.
More than 200 comfort pillows — small stuffed pillows intended for use by patients recovering from surgery — made their colorful arrival at the Praxair Cancer Center of Danbury Hospital recently.
The pillows, which were cut, sewn and stuffed by a team of members from the Ridgefield Woman’s Club for this popular service project, were delivered by Joan Stefura and Karen Heidinger on the club’s behalf, and accepted by registered nurse Joanne Ballerini, Praxair Cancer Center patient navigator.
Nurses typically give the pillows to breast cancer patients to use as cushioning between a woman’s body and a car seat belt, for example, although other uses have been devised by resourceful patients. Staff members eagerly await the club’s annual delivery each spring, and report that the pillows are in demand by many departments at the hospital.
The Woman’s Club frequently receives thank-you letters or notes from grateful patients who report that their spirits were lifted by the gift of the pillow. One woman commented that she “appreciated this small gesture of understanding and support, woman to woman, at a very vulnerable moment.”
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