Originally Posted by dyer804

Your thoughtfulness is touching! I taught junior high for 35 years and had a student with a similar disorder my last year. Mine was one of three classes she could attend with any regularity. I was so impressed with her effort keeping up with her work in the face of such hardship. She did more than many students who were healthy! As I was reading your post, I thought of my student and really appreciate your kindness to such a deserving child. Bless you.

Originally Posted by LucyInTheSky

Many moons ago I saw this quilt by Charismah - http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-36526-1.htm and bookmarked it in my 'awesome patterns I want to do someday' file. This is a block for Quilterscache.

I have made about 6 quilts (with 5 more tops in progress) for Quilts For Kids which go to hospitalized children. Unrelatedly, I teach high school math. I have a student with fibromyalgia (spelling) who missed about 30 days of school last semester. It's painful for her to sit and move and write and she can't carry her backpack. It's sad to see someone so young in so much pain. I email her the notes every day and she kept up with the homework and did the tests at home (with parent supervision, so no questions about her cheating). Even with the absences, she had a high A for the semester. What really hit home for me was when we were having a student-parent-all teachers conference (since we do that for every kid with a chronic illness) and her dad said they're going up to Phoenix Children's Hospital for the weekend to run tests and hopefully come up with a treatment. And which weekend was this? Thanksgiving weekend. And it occurred to me that I'm making quilts for children who I don't even know, and here is a kid who I know is suffering and so I decided to make a quilt for her. I asked her dad (since he volunteers at the school once per week) about what colors/things she likes (backing is going to be horses) and I made this top. Thankfully she seems to be doing better. They attached some little box thing that gives her electrical shocks so she's in less pain (forgive the lack of medical details... basically she's doing better). She was at school for most of Dec and most of Jan so far, and seems to be doing a lot better.

I just finished piecing the blocks together. They went incredibly quickly. I'm going to add a 6" border in the black flower center fabric. The close up picture is more true-color than the full picture.