GUEST BLOG FOR: Ryan’s Case for Smiles – Helping Kids to Feel Better to Heal Better

In 2002, our family’s world changed forever, when I heard the words, your son, Ryan, has bone cancer.  We were in total disbelief.  How do you explain to a 12-year-old what his life for the next year was going to be like?  Would he ever play the sports he loves again? Would he lose his leg?  Would he survive?  How will our family get through this? As a parent, you feel responsible for protecting and healing your child.  Then suddenly you can’t.  I realized I couldn’t cure Ryan, but I could do everything in my power to bring him comfort and make his hospital room seem a little bit more like home.   A hamburger-themed pillowcase was the first one of hundreds that I made for him over the course of his 15 surgeries, 30 months of chemo, 5 relapses and a leg amputation. It was something so simple, but he loved his pillowcases.  After one of Ryan’s relapses, I decided that other children on the oncology floor would love a pillowcase too. 

Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine where that first hamburger pillowcase would take us. Today, through our collective efforts of volunteers serving in 100 chapters, we have delivered almost 3 million pillowcases to children with cancer or another serious illness or injury in over 350 hospitals, Ronald McDonald Houses, hospice centers and specialty camps.

Because of the amazing sewing community across the country:

The pillowcase 9-year-old Kennedy received was so bright and colorful that it helped hide her hair that was falling out and helped her family smile when they weren’t sure they could.

 4-year-old Avery turned his pillowcase into a superhero cape as he dashed around the Cancer clinic.

Madison’s pillowcases brought her so much joy as she was being treated for neuroblastoma.  Those same pillowcases are now bringing comfort to her sister and brother, providing a closeness to their sister who lost her battle to cancer.

Child Life Specialists and nurses share that a simple pillowcase can make a big difference in a child’s hospital experience, providing them with a sense of normalcy and a touch of home. It provides countless doctors, nurses and staff with a much-needed lift and a joyful way to comfort their patients.

We Need Your Help!

As long as childhood cancer and other life-changing illnesses exist, our work will continue. Unfortunately, over 40,000 children are in treatment for cancer each year and they would love to receive a pillowcase sewn by you.  We invite you to share in our efforts by contacting your local coordinator at www.caseforsmiles.org.  If you live in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, D.C., Detroit, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Portland, or Seattle, we would love to talk with you. Children in these metropolitan areas are not currently receiving pillowcases and we hope to change that!

Please contact info@caseforsmiles.org to learn more.

Thank you, Scott, for giving us this opportunity to share our mission of serving sick kids across the country.  Fabric from 3 Wishes, Free Spirit Fabrics, Blank Quilting Corporation, Studio E Fabrics, Henry Glass Fabrics, and A.E. Nathan make great whimsical pillowcases. Check out their amazing collections and sew some love!

Cindy Kerr

Founder/CEO

Ryan’s Case for Smiles