Self Regional Nurse manager Louise Cox thanks Sewing Guild members Linda Goldstein, Sue McFarland and Evie Galloway, with surgical nurse Derquis Mitchell.
(Greenwood, S.C., June 14, 2013) — At first glance, the simple fabric bags in a variety of different patterns seem like a handmade child’s purse.
But American Sewing Guild of Greenwood President Sue McFarland and her group of volunteers can easily explain why the delicate tote bags are so important.
The American Sewing Guild of Greenwood recently donated about 125 handmade items to Self Regional Medical Center to be used by mastectomy patients. Surgical Nurse Manager Louise Cox accepted the donation on behalf of the medical center, and thanked the ladies from the guild who spent their time, talents and materials to make the thoughtful items.
“A woman who has undergone a mastectomy has surgical drains in for several days after surgery,” Ms. Cox explained. “These bags are used to hold the drains, with the ribbons being tied around the lady’s neck to hold it in place. It is more convenient, and more comfortable, than trying to pin the drains and keep them in place.”
A selection of beautiful bags donated by the Greenwood Sewing Guild to Self Regional mastectomy patients.
The volunteers said that first-hand experience with friends and family members who have undergone a mastectomy procedure to remove breast cancer inspired the sewing group to choose this project as part of their community service initiatives.
In the past, Self Regional volunteers, and Ms. Cox’s late mother-in-law, Marcella Cox Mundy, sewed hundreds of the surgical bags for patients. “We worked together as a group to make the bags, and we tried to use pretty fabric,” said Ms. McFarland. “This is something you can’t purchase, and we wanted to do something to lift the patients’ spirits.”
To learn more about the Greenwood chapter of the American Sewing Guild, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sewing as an art form and a life skill, contact Sue McFarland at smcfarland216@gmail.com or (864) 227-8175.
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