The wife of one of my co-workers suffers from a debilitating disease and has been in a wheel chair for quite some time. Until about a year ago, she was able to drive and pretty much get around on her own, but she then was diagnosed as having melanoma for the second time. It's been a difficult time for her as they tried to regulate her medications and treatments for both diseases.
Several weeks ago, she went in for a follow-up on the second round of melanoma, and they told her it had returned. She could go through chemo, but it wouldn't give her much more time than if she goes without treatment, and she opted to not go through it. My co-worker told me she probably has less than a year to live. I have met this woman only once and I wouldn't know her if I met her on the street, but for whatever reason, her situation touched my heart, and I found myself asking her husband what her favorite color is. He grinned and told me purple, and I knew I had to do something for her.
I went shopping two days later, bought fabric, and created a HUG for her. I finished binding it Wednesday of this past week, boxed it and wrapped it on Thursday, and took it to her husband to deliver to her. The note that I enclosed paraphrased part of Sairey's description of a HUG. When I came in to work today, my co-worker told me that his wife loved the quilt, particularly the note that I had sent along. Sarah, if you happen to be able to read this, thank you so much for putting into words what I had a difficult time saying myself!
I've put pics on Webshots (see below) in the Quilts 2008 folder if you'd like to take a look at my purple HUG for Becky.