I may have mentioned in a previous post that I work for a tissue bank. We recover mostly musculoskeletal tissue like bones from the arms and legs. These recovered tissues are used in reconstructive surgery, sports medicine surgery and orthopaedic surgery. It is wonderful that people choose to be an organ and tissue donor, but when it is a child, it is doubly wonderful. They don't choose to be a donor. It is the decision of a parent or guardian to make that decision - and usually at the worst moment a person could experience. And that decision could make the world of difference to another child.
We have replaced elbows and knees of tiny patients, arm bones from children with bone cancer and even a ring finger bone from a young women about to get married. We deal with OPOs or organ procurement organizations all over the country. One of the donors a while ago was a 6 year old child, the daughter of a now-employee. One of the things she regretted was not having a lock of her hair or a hand print or impression of her daughter. She started a "care box" program. The "care box" is given to the donor family and contains a receptacle to hold a lock of hair and a clay hand print kit among other things. These items are then stored in a drawstring "care bag". I am making some of these bags. I have a group of co-workers that meets once or twice a month (called the Sit and Stitch) that will work on some of the bags as well during our sewing sessions at work.
The bags are made from fabric with butterflies if possible, or from other suitable fabric that would then get a butterfly motif ironed on. We can get
4 bags from 1.5 yards of fabric. I just got back from the fabric store after buying 1.5 - 3.0 yards of every butterfly fabric they carried. I had already bought 10 spools of ribbon from AC Moore when they had it on sale to use as the drawstrings.I'm not asking for anything, other than to let your family members know your desire to be an organ and tissue donor. In most states, it is the family that makes the final decision, even if you have indicated on your driver's license that you wish to be a donor. It is the next of kin that is contacted first. They need to know whether you wish to donate or not.
And, when you see butterfly fabric, remember the family that may be gladdened by the fact that it could have been used in a "care bag" that contains a cherished memory of a child or other loved one.