Janice first made contact with me in February 2017 with the following request; “Can I make hearts for you please? I have a grandson going through chemo and have been looking for something to do for the other cancer kids in hospital and Ronald McDonald house where country parents stay…”
This message was the beginning of a beautiful heart journey as Nanna Janice (as she is known in the Heartland) made hearts for children and families going through cancer treatment. She soon extended her heart-making further into her community, stitching away the long hours of waiting through little Leo’s treatment. Janice shares her experience below:
“In 2016 I had my first glimpse of the power of 1000 hearts through my daughter, who was in Perth at the children’s hospital with one of her twins, Leo, who had cancer. Being separated from her hubby and her other 3 children, who were in the country, she was kindly sent four hearts by Sarah.
Something struck me about the message behind these hearts.
Feeling totally stressed and bewildered with the cancer diagnosis and then seeing all the other parents, grandparents and teenagers in the hospital, I felt maybe I could make some hearts to help these other people I was seeing nearly every day.
A message to Sarah to check with her and I was on my way.
Unfortunately, my earlier hearts were made with synthetic felt but I have now found the joy of woollen felt. I’ve no idea how many hearts I have made but I know it’s in the thousands. I have donated hearts to the children’s hospital, the local vet, Headspace, Canteen and Anglicare.
Two of my friends Jules and Amie drop them off wherever they are needed and I always have some in my handbag which I have handed out to people in doctor’s surgeries, at the shopping centre and on the train. We caravan a lot, so I have dropped them off all over Australia.
My grandchildren have a collection of them and the older ones have made some for themselves. I made Leo a large rainbow one which he took with him to heaven. Remembering Leo and the joy the hearts brought to his short life is my motivation for making hearts. Thank you, Sarah, for such a beautiful project.”
Thank YOU, Nanna Janice, for channelling your pain and loss into kindness to others who need a little love. In these ways, we can help our broken hearts to heal and offer some goodness into our world.
