Help requested for brain surgery patients

[thepunkrockinchick]

Today is Dec 17 and we begin moving the day after Christmas.

 

I will not have Internet at the rental home so I'm stuck until we move to the new house; as of right now our closing date is January 20. I'll let you know as soon as I'm back online next month.

 

The project will continue as always though!

 

Good luck on your move. If anyone needs the address for the facility while you are gone, I would be more than happy to give it to them if they want to send before you come back.

[Schmetterling]

punkrock, thank you so much!!

 

Ladies (and gents), I gave punkrockinchick the details of a brand new local neurosurgery center that shared with me their extreme need of caps. They are literally just opening so all the patients (like me, 3 trips there last week) are incoming and they don't have any community resources helping them yet since they're so new.

 

If you would like to send caps to them while I am offline during my move, please contact thepunkrockinchick for the address info.

 

Thank you everyone, and thanks punkrock for your kind offer to help while I'm off!

[Schmetterling]

Beth and her students sent another awesome package! Thank you!! They did such an amazing job. If I had any idea where my camera was in this mess (we're moving the day after Christmas) I'd love to show them! They should be proud of the fantastic job they did on the caps! Way to go!!!

[Schmetterling]

**I have moved! I have moved!**

 

It's official. I am in our new home and have a new address. Anyone in need of my new address, please contact me via PM or email. Thank you for your patience during the month I was away & offline.

 

Also, on a more personal note, the meningitis I had as a complication of one of my brain surgeries has caused an extremely dangerous and progressive seizure problem. In the next few weeks I will be in discussion with some crafters who could potentially take over my project and keep it going should I no longer be around to do so. I hope to be able to provide this information to you myself, but if that can't happen the appropriate person(s) will help.

 

Thank you for getting this off to such a wonderful start!

[basjordan]

:yayCongratulations on your new home! I hope you are very happy there. Now to take a deep breath, and get settled in.

 

You are in my prayers.

[DesiLynn]

Hi there, when I read this thread it really touched my heart... My godmother in the last year in a half been diagnosed terminal with a brain tumor. She has undergone 1 surgery that wasn't a success. She has been through Chemotherapy and Radiation she has be so very blessed to have not lost her hair. About 4 years ago she was diagnosed with colon cancer and have Chemotherapy and over the years the chemo completely ate away her colon and now has 2 colostomy bags. So not only does she suffer from the everyday signs of the brain tumor but she has to deal with her colostomy bags as well which for being a bigger lady and loosing so much weight isn't easy with having the bags...

 

I kinda started to ramble and i am sorry for that... I guess what I want to say is I would really LOVE to help but have never made hats. I am really new to crocheting and have really only made dish rags... If anyone has any extremely easy patterns they would like to share or any advise on how to get going on caps would be great! I would really love to help & appreciate any advise

 

-Desi

[truckin Patty]

**I have moved! I have moved!**

 

It's official. I am in our new home and have a new address. Anyone in need of my new address, please contact me via PM or email. Thank you for your patience during the month I was away & offline.

 

Also, on a more personal note, the meningitis I had as a complication of one of my brain surgeries has caused an extremely dangerous and progressive seizure problem. In the next few weeks I will be in discussion with some crafters who could potentially take over my project and keep it going should I no longer be around to do so. I hope to be able to provide this information to you myself, but if that can't happen the appropriate person(s) will help.

 

Thank you for getting this off to such a wonderful start!

 

Congratulations on your move, I will keep you in my prayers. I will try to get a few more hats to you inbetween the 6 afghans I have to get done before Sept. Please send me your new addy.

[Schmetterling]

Hi there Desi,

 

I hope these help!

 

Here is a collection of the hat patterns previously posted in this thread. Thank you so much for your help!

 

http://www.yarncat.com/Durango.html

 

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/70732AD.html

 

http://naidascrochet.tripod.com/patterns/myguy.html

 

http://www.yarncat.com/MFH-Muriel.html

 

http://www.crochetme.com/belliveau-cove-gulf-shores

 

http://www.jpfun.com/patterns/free/wearables/f124001addisonhat.shtml

 

http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/cancercaps.html

 

 

Hi there, when I read this thread it really touched my heart... My godmother in the last year in a half been diagnosed terminal with a brain tumor. She has undergone 1 surgery that wasn't a success. She has been through Chemotherapy and Radiation she has be so very blessed to have not lost her hair. About 4 years ago she was diagnosed with colon cancer and have Chemotherapy and over the years the chemo completely ate away her colon and now has 2 colostomy bags. So not only does she suffer from the everyday signs of the brain tumor but she has to deal with her colostomy bags as well which for being a bigger lady and loosing so much weight isn't easy with having the bags...

 

I kinda started to ramble and i am sorry for that... I guess what I want to say is I would really LOVE to help but have never made hats. I am really new to crocheting and have really only made dish rags... If anyone has any extremely easy patterns they would like to share or any advise on how to get going on caps would be great! I would really love to help & appreciate any advise

 

-Desi

[Little_Country_Gal]

Hi, I want you to know that I joined just for you! I often refer to the site for inspiration, and came across your post last week. I am in awe of what you have been doing! I would love to help out! I already made up 2 hats in cotton yarn from the Durango pattern with pretty flowers attatched. As I have only boys, this gives me a chance to use all of those pretty flower patterns I have! When you get a chance please let me know where to send them. Until then, I'll work on some more for you!

 

These are fun! Sort of like making a doily for your head!!! Humm! Maybe I'll try that, with a little adjusting I'll bet that a dense doily pattern could be converted into a hat, or at least the first dozen rows could be....Then add a binding of hdc and sc at the bottom... Humm...

 

Also, in one of your posts you mentioned that the hats could be sewn. I have a Monster stash of fleece that my boys have "outgrown" (for lack of a better way of saying that I just didn't get it made up fast enough, and now they want more sophisticated items!). I would love to find a way to turn that fleece into hats for you! I made hats for the boys before, but they were bulky things. I'm thinking that you need something more streamlined (so that they could be worn inside and in a reclining position if need be). I also thought about a nice crochet edge, or even a crochet band around the base??? Are you still interested in sewn hats? And if so do you have any suggestions for patterns or even pics of what they should look like? I'm sure that I could draft a pattern if you pointed me in the right direction!

 

I promise to work on it at least until my other projects get piled so high I can't see straight, or one of my other multiple personalities drags me away (Oh, I do hope that I'm kidding!) It's all good!

 

-Renee

[Schmetterling]

Renee, thank you so much for your kind message! I'm sorry it took me a few days to respond. I went out of town.

 

I have a fleece pattern for sewing caps too. I'll get it and come back and post it in this thread ok? Sewn caps are awesome too, absolutely! It's pretty much the same guidelines of avoiding big holes.

[Schmetterling]

Here is a fleece cap pattern for sewing:

 

http://www.headhuggers.org/patterns/spatt01.htm

[peglatt]

I am a nurse and I know thre are a lot of chemo caps out there. I work in the OR and the er so I do know the horror of a sudden brain attack, for whatever reason, and the horror of suddenly loosing your hair. I can remember watching in horror as this you girl with long hair was suddenly bald. So much of our idenity is relatsted to our "crowning glory". The incisions are sometime massive and stples pikc and catch on everything. (Not to mention the black and swollen eyes. Please let me know where to send them I have the fish had that I softened with fabric softner. It is roomy and would eaisly go over a suture line and protec the neck too. I have some baby size ones too. don't forget the wee ones! Waiting to hear from you. Peg Lattinville

[Schmetterling]

Peg, I would be glad to send you an address of a place in great need. It is a brand new neurosurgical facility and those of us here that are helping them are the ONLY ones giving them any help whatsoever. Everytime I bring in a batch of caps, the woman in charge of the facility cries; they desperately need the help.

 

I will contact you via PM.

[teakaycee]

I have a handful of hats here wanting to be donated to your cause... if you would please send me an address........ I will mail them ASAP!

Thanks sweetie... appreciate it!

you take care......... we love you here at the 'ville!

Prayers for you always!

 

 

[Schmetterling]

tea, I sent the information. Thank you so much for your help! I really appreciate it.

 

Thank you everyone!

[tcandlgmom]

I am planning on making hats very soon. What kind of cotton yarn have all of you been using? I have some of the sugar and cream type yarn, is that suitable?

[Schmetterling]

I have used Sugar and Cream as well as Peaches & Creme. They have both worked out well. I wash them with unscented fabric softener to soften them up.

 

Thank you for your help with the project! I'm sorry for the delayed response. I've been hit hard the last couple weeks with a lot more seizures than usual. I mean I have them every day but for some reason they have been lasting a lot longer than normal. It's difficult enough to get things done with a couple dozen a day but when one starts lasting an hour, I miss a lot of time in my day but I see the strain it takes on my husband and kis Anyway, I'm sorry about that. I usually answer faster than that.

[basjordan]

Keesha,

 

:hugYou are in my prayers!

[tcandlgmom]

Keesha,

Don't worry about the delayed response! I just pray that you are having a better day today

[senoj75]

good morning! i saw your post and would like to help. lately, it seems my small world has been invaded by cancer. not me personally, but to ones that i love. i just want to help out and make someone feel comfortable. so if you can PM with an addy then i will be so happy.

 

i hope you are having a good day. and thanks for sharing this with us.

 

dj

[irishrose]

Hi Keesha. I'd really like to help with this project. Could you please pm me your addy so I can send some hats to you? You are in my prayers and are a true hero!

[alovcy]

I think this is a fantastic idea. I have been an Xray tech for 25 years and love to crochet. I'll get several of my fellow crocheters on this for our local hospital to give out. Thanks for the heads up.

[truckin Patty]

Mailed 2 hats your way today!

[Schmetterling]

Mailed 2 hats your way today!

 

Thanks so much Patty! They arrived yesterday. I will drop them at the hospital when I go do my pre-op labs and EKG on the 6th.

 

I'm sorry I've disappeared lately. Not been doing so well. I'm having my 16th surgery on the 15th. If all goes well I'll spend a week in the hospital.

 

The brain surgery caps project though is ongoing. Thank you everyone for your continued support.

[Schmetterling]

I think this is a fantastic idea. I have been an Xray tech for 25 years and love to crochet. I'll get several of my fellow crocheters on this for our local hospital to give out. Thanks for the heads up.

 

That's terrific! Thank you for your involvement, and that of your fellow crocheters!