A Quilt on a Mission

 I spied a quilt I made the other day in a Rotaplast post about their latest mission in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Being geographically challenged I had to look up that location on a map and found it is 8,164 miles from my home in Long Grove, Iowa.  

Rotaplast International, Inc. is committed to helping children and families worldwide by eliminating the burden of cleft lip and/or palate, burn scarring, and other deformities.  Wrap-a-Smile, a Rotaplast partner, provides quilts for the patients treated on the missions. 

Here's an excerpt from a letter about our quilts from a nurse who worked on several Rotaplast missions: 

"These hospitals we work in have NO linens at all, let alone on the OR tables or recovery rooms or wards. We use these quilts first to wrap each child in as they wait for surgery. It truly comforts them, no matter what age. Then, as they are moved to the OR, we use the quilt to cover them and keep them warm in surgery. This is actually critical to anesthesia and post-op healing. Warmth is critical!

At home we use electric warmers called Bear Huggers. On missions we use your quilts. But – we are very careful to protect the quilts from blood splashes during the IV start and surgery.

Then, as the patients are moved to recovery room, the quilts are a crucial part of the caring, medical equipment, and patient comfort. Again, if patients are not warmed, they do NOT do as well post-op. We cover them in PACU (recovery) again, being careful not to let blood or body fluids touch the beautiful quilts..."

Anyway...the quilt in that operating room was a Wonky Log quilt I made back in 2017 and I was thrilled to see it in use. 

I recently used a few scraps left over from the kite fabric used as the Wonky Log block centers in some  low volume Bright Hopes blocks. When that quilt is finished it will be for me and I'll think of a patient somewhere in Myanmar whenever I see it.



UPDATE JULY 31:

There is now another  Rotaplast post about the little boy named Aung who has this quilt!

Just one more thing...

Sunshine Online Quilt Guild members make quilts for kids around the world. We donate to two programs: Wrap a Smile and Quilts Beyond Borders. Quilts go to kids, teens, and adults undergoing cleft palate surgery and to under-served children, often in orphanages, worldwide.

Please join us if you enjoy making quilts for children in need.