Stacey Seaside

There is great power in giving.

Giving love.

Giving hope.

Giving energy.

Priceless giving.

Giving that does not carry

a financial value but a value that comes soul to soul.

I was blessed to see this kind of giving in action this past Monday.

35 women– mothers and daughters, young and old, local Mykonians as well as foreigners from across the globe living in Mykonos, came together to stuff and stitch Heart Pillows.

The Heart Pillow Project

Made by Women, For Women

Sharing the love … stitching, stuffing, hoping.

The lobby of the Grypareion Cultural Center of Mykonos overflowed Monday with high spirits, much love and positive energy.

25 pillows were donated to the Mykonos Cancer Association: Dynami Psychis.

Another 55 pillows will travel with me to Athens tomorrow to be handed off to the American Women’s Organization of Greece (AWOGreece).

AWOG also had a Pillow Stuffing Party in Athens, hosted at the APIVITA store in Kolonaki just days before. 40 women showed up there where 200 pillows were prepared.

The pillows are a tool to comfort and offer relief from the physical and psychological pain for mastectomy patients. The heart shaped pillow goes underneath the armpit and over the incision as padded protection. The patient can also hold the heart pillow, while tucked under the arm, offering something to embrace.

The project started when Janet Kramer-Mai, an oncology nurse at Erlanger Medical Center in the USA. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001. Three of her aunts made and sent her a heart-shaped pillow to use after her surgery.

The pillow’s design was developed by an American nurse in Copenhagen who is a member of the FAWCO Club, the American Women’s Club of Denmark. One of the goals of the over 75 American Women’s Clubs found throughout the world is to be socially and charitably committed. The Heart Pillow Project has become an international charity movement; volunteers sew pillows for breast cancer survivors world-wide.

Heart Pillows Come to AWOGreece

The Heart Pillow Project came to Greece in 2007 through AWOGreece. The organization has donated more than 2000 pillows to patients in public cancer hospitals across Greece.

The pillows were created as ladies stuffed and stitched positive prayers and hope for a speedy recovery for those who will receive the pillows. Women remembered dear friends and family who are currently warriors against the disease and especially those women lost to breast cancer.

Kudos to the Grypareion Cultural Center in Mykonos and APIVITA in Kolonaki for giving space in such a hospitable spirit to this project.

But the lion’s share of gratitude goes to the women who showed up on Monday in Mykonos and last Saturday in Kolonaki–to stuff, to stitch, to offer balm to other women–strangers to them–for a speedy and resilient recovery from breast cancer.

March is “herstory” month

March is Women’s History month — or we gals like to say — “herstory.”

What better time than to recognize and highlight the achievements, accomplishments, and impact that women have had in various fields and aspects of society?

Preparing the pillows this month was purposefully timed.

It is a shout out to all the women who support other women.

The incredible impact of women coming together:

A. How joyfully women greeted one another –especially old friends who had not seen each other in quite a while

B. How each woman coming on to the scene needed little guidance and instruction in what to do–quietly, humbly joining in the work–whether that meant stuffing a pillow, collecting pillows, stitching pillows

C. How each woman carried a sacred solemnity in the task at hand.

As we contributed, each in our own way, we focused on friends and relatives currently fighting the disease of breast cancer–but also many others who were facing life threatening health challenges.

And of course we thought of those we have lost to the disease.

Those loved and lost

For me, it was our most recent loss of darling, dearest Debbie Politi.

Within the space of a year, Debbie, at 60, had gone from diagnosis to death.

Dutiful daughter, loving sister, passionate wife, adoring mother, dedicated educator—“Miss Debbie” to her students, and a good friend to many-I am lucky to have been able to call her my friend.

A South African native, Mykonos was one of her stops in her post college junket of travel. Vaggeli and the island magnetized her. She made Mykonos home.

She married, set about successfully adapting to life on a Greek island with all its pluses and minuses. After her sons were of school age she began her journey as a teacher- instructing thousands of students over more than three decades in perfecting their ability to communicate in English.

Her free time was limited because of her heavy teaching schedule with lessons overflowing into Saturdays, Sundays and summer.

Nonetheless she maintained a healthy lifestyle working out at least 3 times a week and watching her diet.

And she always made sure to feed the neighbourhood strays—at one time I counted as many as 15 cats that came to her doorstep.

Most first impressions of Debbie were of an age defying, trim girl, with a beaming smile and a lovely disposition. And that never changed in the three plus decades I knew her. But beneath that delicate exterior was a strong and determined will. She had an inner strength and discipline that never wavered and was so admirable.

I miss you Debbie.

We all miss you.

And with each Pillow Stuffing Party–whether I purchase stuffing in Athens or buy fabric at JoAnns in the states on a trip home, to donate for the pillows, I will think of you Debbie.

And I will remember the others also lost — Marianna, Stella, Mary, Lorraine, Marina.

I have been participating in the Heart Pillow Project through AWOGreece for the last 10 years.

Made by women, for women

One of the newest members at the time suggested we make it a more public event—because it was such a feel good activity, bringing women together to make something for women by women.

And so we began, initially in AWOGreece’s Athens office with about 15 ladies coming together. Eventually we moved to large venues that could contain as many as 40 and 50 people comfortably.

Eventually I migrated the Pillow Stuffing Parties to Mykonos, within the confines of my kitchen and living room with gal pals.

Monday we were able to share the event through Dynami Psychis with the entire community in Mykonos.

Tapping the nurturing power of female energy and channelling it into the heart pillows is priceless. Women giving to women.

And we will do it all again come October–in Mykonos and in Athens–during Breast Cancer Awareness month.

And hopefully one day soon, we will stop making heart pillows.

Because the disease will no longer exist.

And we will not lose the dearest Debbie’s in our lives.

Next October

Until “the cure” comes, we will continue to meet each October and March,

to give hope

to give love

to give healing energy

priceless giving …

If you are in Athens or Mykonos, do join us.

If you are elsewhere, look into the hands-on projects you can volunteer for that you can put your positive healing energy into for the warriors and the survivors.