Sewing for Charity

Who is ready to give back? We will be having a Day of Sewing for Charity on Thursday, October 19, 2023 of our Conference this year. There will be a room set up for everyone who wants to contribute to the purpose of Reese’s LairWear. We will be serving the needs of children on the Hematology floor of Children’s Hospital Colorado by finishing as many lounge pants, masks, and knit hats as time will allow. The day after the conference tour, Karen and I will be personally delivering everything we were able to complete to the hospital where the nurses will distribute as they see fit for the individual patient.

The story behind Reese’s LairWear is inspired by my son Reese. He was diagnosed on January 4, 2019 with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. He went through all the chemotherapy and rang the victory bell the day after Mother’s Day that year. He had a wonderful summer of remission before apparent dormant cancer cells reared their ugly head and showed up in his blood work on August 26, 2019. He only got through 1 ½ weeks of the 4th grade before starting over, only this time he was going to need a bone marrow transplant. The treatment was harder on him this time. He also had to go through radiation as well as more chemo before he could get the transplant. Everything was going ok and he engrafted after the transplant. However, it was too much ‘treatment’ for his little body. I lost my little Reese on June 10, 2020.

Through his 18 month, 6 day journey, I made so many pairs of colorful lounge pants, masks, knit hats, and even g-tube huggers. Upon his admission back into Brenner Children’s Hospital for his second go around with cancer, Reese was given a custom sign that we hung on his door. He designed it himself. It simply said “Reese’s Lair” with a green tie dye background. Lair is defined as a resting place for a wild animal. It was very fitting since he needed rest from his illness, but when he felt good he was a wild man full of energy. I found it very fitting to name these lounge pants Reese’s LairWear. Reese’s favorite color is a bright green. He loved legos. And he was getting to develop his own style. These pants are branded ‘Reese’s LairWear’ with a green Lego embroidered inside the right pocket. They have an elastic waist band for comfort and a hem cuff, just the way he liked them. I choose cotton woven fabrics that are Reese inspired.

On our day of sewing, we will be finishing all the pants I bring, cutting and sewing masks, and sewing together the precut knit hats. We will also be bagging them and labeling the bags. I really look forward to sharing Reese’s LairWear and his story with everyone, as well as with the children at the hospital. These children need us. My mission is two-fold these days. I hold fundraisers in June and September for cancer treatment research. Reese’s LairWear is for the children in the wait. The purpose is to possibly bring a smile to a sick child’s face and maybe for just a moment, he or she could forget where they are. Who is with me on this mission, even if for only a day?