Local Needleworkers Make Blankets for Northside Hospital Cancer Patients

 The Atlanta chapter of the International Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework, the Peach State Stitchers, recently presented Northside Hospital’s Cancer Institute with 50 blankets for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

As a regional leader in cancer care, Northside treats more than 3,500 patients with cancer each year.  Many of these patients require chemot herapy as part of their care.  Warm, cozy blankets help to ease some of the side effects that patients often experience during treatment and cheer them up.

"Chemotherapy is not something that cancer patients look forward to; so when they arrive for treatment and are presented with such a thoughtful gift, it really helps to improve their outlook," said Patti Owen, director of oncology services.  "We are grateful to the Peach State Stitchers for being so generous with their time and resources and for thinking of our patients."

Established in 1998, the Peach State Stitchers is a group of women and men, at every level of ability and from every branch of Judaism, who participate in programs combining a rich blend of needlework, culture, tradition and religious practices a s they relate to Judaic textiles.  Their mission is to heighten the concept of Hiddur Mitzvah, a commandment that instructs them to make things beautiful in their community and create a visual legacy to hand to the next generation.  Each year, the group completes at least one community outreach program.

"Our members share a common interest in Jewish tradition and desire to create Judaic needlework and fiber projects for family, home, synagogue and other community organizations," said Arlette Berlin, program co-chair, Peach State Stitchers.  "This year, thanks to their hard work and creativity of our members, we were able to donate 50 fleece blankets to Northside Hospital; we hope they were a welcomed comfort and ‘gift’ for the holidays and colder months."

According to Northside, patients are very appreciative of the blankets.  They often return for future appointments with their blankets in hand.

In previous years, the Peach State Stitchers also have supported Northside’s Special Care Nursery, by making blankets and isolette covers for babies in the unit.

For more information about the International Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework and the Peach State Stitchers, visit http://www.pomegranateguild.org.

For more information about supporting the Northside Hospital Cancer Institute, visit http://www.northside.com and click "donations."

Caption: Susan Casella, breast health coordinator, Northside Hospital, is presented with a fleece blanket from Peach State Stitchers (l-r) Carol Katz, Arlene Poretsky, Arlette Berlin, Jackie Granath, Ivah Kukler, Vilma Arenson and Susan Big.

The Northside Hospital health care delivery system, a not-for-profit health care provider, has served north Metro Atlanta for more than 40 years.  With more than 2,200 physicians and 7,400 employees, the hospital sees nearly 700,000 patient visits a year.   Staff provide a full range of health care services, including women’s health, cancer care, emergency care, surgery, specialty medicine and a wide array of outpatient services at many locations.  Northside Hospital offers high-quality health care at Northside Hospital-Atlanta in Sandy Springs, Northside Hospital-Cherokee in Canton and Northside Hospital-Forsyth in Cumming.