Frances Jones was diagnosed with lung cancer a few weeks before Christmas.
She and her family were devastated and knew they had a rough road ahead. Frances lost her husband four years ago to heart failure. He had always been beside her during tough times, and she wasn’t sure she would be able to handle her cancer treatment without him.
Her granddaughter Maddie came up with an idea that would help her grandma feel like her husband was still nearby.
She and her aunt collected a couple of Maddie’s grandpa’s old shirts and started working on a blanket for Frances.
They decided to sew the shirts directly to the blanket so when Frances wrapped up in it, it would seem like her husband was there hugging her. They chose a soft, fleece blanket that would help keep her warm and comfortable during her treatment.
Maddie took two pieces of fleece fabric and cut the end of them to create a fringe. She then tied the fringe together to connect the blankets. She had sewn her grandpa’s favorite shirt on one piece of the fleece, with the arms outstretched. The end result was beautiful.
Since it was Christmas time, Maddie thought it would be a good idea to give her grandma the blanket as a Christmas gift.
She knew her grandma was going to love it and be surprised, so the family decided to record her opening it.
As Maddie predicted, her grandma was thrilled. She loved everything about the blanket and seemed to agree that it would feel as if her husband was with her when she was using it. Maddie shared the video of her grandma opening the gift on social media, and it has been viewed and shared by thousands of people.
A lot of people commented on the video and shared stories of things they had made and ways they like to remember their own loved ones who have passed.
Denise Cole commented:
“When my Dad died i gave some of his flannel shirts to my nephews who were junior high age. I saw my nephew wearing one and commented – he turned around and told me ‘it was just like a hug from Grandpa all day!’ I like to think your Grandpa has his arms around her!”
M Von Holt also shared her story in the comments sections of the video. She said:
“Gifts like this mean so much. We adopted our two kids many years ago. My husband’s mother loved buying them clothes. When my youngest was about two I took three bags of clothes that she had bought and cut them into 4” and 8” squares. They had the ruffled bottom of my daughter’s sun romper, my sons front panel with the fire truck on it. Each square had something…Pockets, ruffles, snaps, embroidered designs. I made a king-sized quilt out of these (I had never sewn anything in my life).
“She cried when she opened this quilt like we had given her a million dollars.
“My daughter is now 37 years old. I gave her this quilt recently and it meant so much to her. She said she can remember laying on the bed talking with grandma when she was little and talking about when she wore this outfit or that one. She has so many memories that are precious to her.
“We lost my husband’s mother when she was 11 years old. The quilt meant almost as much to my daughter as it did to her grandma. Memories are all we have when someone passes. They are all the sweeter when you have something as valuable as a favorite shirt to hold onto when you go through the phases we all go through when we miss someone we love. God bless you with your chemo treatments. Your throw is precious.”
It’s common for people to make blankets, pillows, and other items out of the clothes of deceased loved ones.
It’s just another way for them to feel close to that person and keep their memory alive. Frances will always have a piece of her husband with her. Now, she can take her blanket with her to cancer treatments and feel that he is nearby.
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