A young cousin’s battle with brain cancer inspires sisters to sew 1,800 colorful hospital gowns for kids.
One-year-old Giada Demma was suffering from brain cancer and undergoing treatment for it at a hospital in 2017.
When her cousins, Giuliana Demma, 13, and her younger sister Audrina, 11, from Freehold, New Jersey, visited her, they were sad to see their little cousin in pain.
They were even more upset by the fact that the tiny girl was wearing a dull green hospital gown that was several sizes too big for her.
That is when an idea struck Guiliana, and she thought of creating cute hospital gowns for kids.
Giada is doing fine now, but the memory of her in the ugly hospital gown stayed with the girls for a long time, which led them to develop an interest in stitching.
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Going by this philosophy, she decided to learn how to sew and created a custom hospital gown for another kid suffering from cancer.
Young kids who are in the hospital suffer from various ailments, and Giuliana thought that creating cute hospital gowns for them might help them feel a little better.
The sisters learned to sew and made their first colorful hospital gowns with flamingo prints and Paris-themed patterns, as per CBS News.
As of now, the girls have stitched around 1,800 hospital gowns for kids, distributing them to 36 states in the U.S. and even sending some to Uganda.
Despite the time and effort spent creating them, the gowns are completely free, thanks to the involvement of many foundations and nonprofits working with the girls.
A local church group and women’s group provide them with volunteers. These volunteers help the girls in cutting the fabrics.
The girls have also received a grant from the Starbucks Foundation, and ImageFIRST, a hospital linen company, cleans the gowns before they are donated to hospitals.
Audrina, too, has a keen interest in stitching and helps out when her sister is busy with homework. She wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up.
To keep kids entertained and engaged in the hospital, Audrina sews pillows that come with colorful markers, allowing kids to color them as they like.
The pillow packages often include small rubber duckies and other toys provided by LIV Like a Unicorn, a pediatric cancer charity.
Audrina creates these pillows with seasonal themes in mind like St. Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day, etc.
Giuliana has also started a small organization called, ‘G’s Giving Gowns‘ and is working on making it a nonprofit.
Over time, not only has her stitching improved, but she has also begun customizing the gowns to meet the various needs of the kids.
Now she creates gowns with zippers to allow space for injectables, other medications, and even chemotherapy.
As a result, the kids don’t have to wear the gowns all the time while they are in the hospital.
Guiliana plans to become a cancer surgeon when she grows up. She also likes listening to feedback on her creations and seeing the joy, happiness, and precious smiles they bring to the faces of the young patients.
Giuliana and Audrina could have lived regular lives, but they chose to bring smiles to sick kids’ faces. This shows their strong values, empathy, and purity of heart.
