If you are gracious enough to tackle such a big project, she should be gracious enough to wait for it ... no matter how long it takes. Your health is #1 in importance. Take care of yourself. Maybe she could learn to quilt and add some puffs to the project while you are recovering. Also, mailing is not terribly expensive, even priority mail. I mail bed quilts to my son who lives several states away. He gets them in a couple of days.