We arrived in India with 36 boxes, however, the contents of three of those boxes had a very special purpose on this trip – they were full of hand made quilts. Each year Rotary International quilting groups from different districts around the United States make quilts to give to the Rotaplast patients.
I can’t begin to tell you how much these quilts mean to our patients. Walking into the waiting room they all have a scared look in their eyes. They hesitantly enter the room unsure of our team or the surgery that awaits. Then a member of our team will hand them their very own handmade quilt and their whole face just lights up. Regardless of their age, both young and old, they immediately wrap themselves up in their beautiful new gift.
I really enjoy watching as one of our doctors or nurses picks out the “perfect” quilt for their patient. They dig through the box of quilts making sure they choose a quilt that matches the patients’ gender, age, and even personality. It is adorable! The quilt stays with the patient everywhere they go …. even the surgery room. It is amazing to look in on a surgery and see the quilts draped over their new owner. It is a gift that they will be able to take home and, hopefully, it will remind them of the Rotaplast team and all they people who worked so hard to make their surgery possible.
On behalf of our entire team I would like to thank everyone who dedicated their time to make such beautiful quilts for our patients!