Karen Hannahs, our Family Support Liaison wrote this lovely entry about the origin of our Donor Quilt.  Thanks to Karen for contributing the following story:

In my work as a Family Support Liaison, I am constantly in awe of how so many donor families cope with unspeakable losses and somehow turn their losses into something positive through helping others. One such person is Judy Hunter.

In late May of 1995 Bill and Judy Hunter and their family were at a reception celebrating the marriage of one of their son Greg. As Judy tells it, “It was Greg and Dawn’s reception but Katy’s (their six-year-old daughter’s) party.” The event was held at a county courthouse with marbled floors and banisters. In spite of being told not to play near the banister, Katy and her brother and cousin took to the second floor, and Katy decided to “ride the banister” (like a play horse) so she could watch  everyone below. She was quickly seen by family members and told to get down. In the process of lifting her foot she fell backwards and toppled over the banister falling to the floor below as several family members rushed to catch her. No one was close enough to intercept her fall and as she fell she hit her head. She was rushed to the hospital but never regained consciousness.

Fast forward to the summer of 1996. Judy was attending the transplant games held in Washington DC when she first came upon the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) donor quilt. Judy says, “I had just been to the different monuments including the Vietnam Memorial and that was incredibly emotional. I had the same feeling when I saw all these quilt squares” (sewn together in memory of those that gave the gift of life). Judy met Maggie Coolican, the donor mom who was responsible for sewing all those squares together. She quickly felt a kinship with her. Maggie, too, had lost her six-year-old daughter, who coincidently was named Katie.

Judy thought to herself, “There are a lot of people who will never make it to a NKF event and will not have an opportunity to see this quilt. I can sew. Maybe I could do this.”  One year later in 1997 the first Intermountain Donor Services quilt was born with 10 squares. Judy says, “This is something I can do that touches others. I sit and will often cry as I do it. I learn about the stories behind the squares. It can sometimes be heartbreaking and a challenge, but they are all stitched with love.”

Judy and Bill had a large family before Katy died, including their daughter, Dianna who died of Osteosarcoma in 1990 at the age of fourteen. After Katy’s death they decided to adopt two children and along with their (total) 9 biological children, they welcomed Nathan and Sharyn into their loving home.

Putting the quilt together is absolutely a labor of love and one that has helped in the mourning process. But there are other things the Hunter’s do that help to keep Katy and Dianna’s spirit strong. The family’s strong faith and religion has helped them immeasurably and their belief that they will see their daughters again provides immense comfort. They talk freely about them in their home and the girl’s younger siblings have a real sense of who they were. Every year they decorate a tree in honor of Katy and Dianna for the Festival of Trees. You might even see the family at their grave site putting colorful windsocks on the girl’s headstones. Judy says, “I work in labor and delivery and normally experience a lot of happy moments, but when a child dies, I always talk to families about the importance of talking about their child and acknowledging the loss”.

Judy and Bill feel like the experiences they have had in the years following their daughter’s death have helped them continue on in spite of their heartache. “There is so much love out there, so much good. You learn that after you lose a child.” They also recognize that the (sometimes unbearable) hurt comes from the love they have for their daughters, “We hurt so much because we love so much.”

Tags: donor quilt, donor registry, organ donation, yes utah

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