Kaye-Maree Hinton’s husband Garry was in end-of-life care with a rare type of brain cancer, when a nurse laid a bright, handmade quilt over his hospital bed.
Ms Hinton, 62, says the simple act of kindness provided a spark of colour and comfort in the stark and sterile hospital environment.
“The fact that somebody cared and thought about him,” she said.
“It was so comforting … to cover him with something so beautiful, instead of just hospital sheets and hospital blankets in cold, stark white.”
Kaye-Maree Hinton and her husband Garry, with his quilt, in the Manning Hospital. (Supplied: Kaye-Maree Hinton)
In late December Mr Hinton died, aged 70, in Taree’s Manning Hospital on the New South Wales Mid North Coast.
The quilt is now set to become a family heirloom, already laid in a crib ready for the upcoming birth of Ms Hinton’s newest grandchild.
Kaye-Maree Hinton says the quilt gifted to her late husband will now be used for her grandson, due in March. (Supplied: Kaye-Maree Hinton)
“It was one of the last things we shared that wasn’t hospital-related,” Ms Hinton said.
“To be able to bring it home was just the most amazing thing ever.”
Beyond clinical careLoading…
The quilt was made as part of a program known as Ray of Sunshine Quilts.
It began in 2015 after a nurse placed a bright patchwork quilt on the bed of one of her patients and noticed how much it lifted their spirits, and those of their visitors.
Sally Drury was in charge of the Manning Hospital palliative care unit at the time and wondered if it would be possible to gift a handmade quilt to all the unit’s patients.
She reached out to the Taree Craft Club and then-president Pam Eyb helped secure support from three lower Mid North Coast quilting clubs.
Pam Eyb, pictured (centre) with husband Allan and Taree Craft Centre president Colleen Brown, helped start the project. (ABC News: Emma Siossian)
Recently the project surpassed a total of 2,000 donated quilts.
“It’s amazing, we didn’t think the project could possibly continue for this length of time,” Ms Eyb said.
The Manning Hospital’s current nursing unit manager of cancer and palliative care services, Donna Nicholson, said the quilts were treasured by patients and their families and softened the sterile hospital environment.
Donna Nicholson says the handmade quilts soften the sterile hospital environment. (ABC News: Emma Siossian)
“We try to pick our quilts for individuals, we normally get the opportunity to spend a fair bit of time with the patient, or their families,” she said.
“The quilts have a significant influence on the families, it’s memorabilia, it’s an attachment to their loved one.”
Gold Coast resident Tania Yarnold’s father Peter Lavender also received a handmade quilt when in palliative care at Taree last year.
Ms Yarnold said her dad treasured the quilt, and more than six months after his death, it continued to bring her mother Christine Lavender comfort.
Beloved family dog Kneessa spent time with Peter Lavender while he was in palliative care, lying across his quilt. (Supplied: Tania Yarnold)
“My mum took it to the funeral home; she slept with it at night,” she said.
“To this day, she will still sit and hold that quilt and run it through her fingers if she’s having a bad day.”Made with love
The project is supported by the MidCoast Community Quilters, Taree’s Town and Country Quilters and the Dolphin Quilters of Old Bar and brings the quilters a sense of creative purpose.
Thousands of quilts have been donated in the past decade. (ABC News: Emma Siossian)
Julie Lawrence with Town and Country Quilters created the quilt Garry Hinton received and was touched to hear about its positive impact.
“We love doing it, and when you get feedback, it really makes you feel special,” she said.
The biggest regular donation – 100 quilts a year – comes from the MidCoast Community Quilters.
They come together to sew in the Nabiac home of Jenny Fletcher, who has dedicated most of her house to quilting.
Jenny Fletcher says she loves creating quilts for others, and connecting with other quilters. (ABC News: Emma Siossian)
“I’m a widow and I have plenty of room … so I got rid of a lounge, who needs a lounge?” she said with a laugh.
She said the group of about 20 women also donated quilts to other causes, with no plans to pack up the patchwork any time soon.
“I started keeping records of quilts we have donated in 2016, and in the 10 years we have donated 5,095 quilts,” she said.
Donated quilts ready to be gifted to palliative care patients. (Supplied: Allan Eyb)
“When you hear stories about how the quilts have touched people, it just makes you want to sew a bit more.”
Ms Fletcher said it could be “daunting” making a quilt for a child in palliative care.
“You want to make it the best you can, using the brightest colours, and you put love into it,” she said.
Palliative Care Australia national projects director Chelsea Menchin said similar community quilt projects were underway across Australia, and offered “comfort, dignity and a sense of personal care”.
Annette Davis, a second generation quilter, with the MidCoast Community Quilters at Nabiac. (ABC News: Emma Siossian)
“These initiatives highlight how community-led, non-clinical support can enhance quality of life at the end of life,” she said.
Ms Hinton said she was pleased to know other families would experience the same act of kindness she and Mr Hinton had received, at a time when they needed it most.
“I hope the ladies who make them know just precious they are to people … the impact they have on families,” she said.