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player ready...For the kids fighting cancer at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Gold Coast and their families, anything that provides calm and comfort during a scary time is in demand. So when St. Charles-based company Pillow of Health teamed up with nearby pediatric cancer charity Cal’s Angels nearly two years ago to gift Lurie cancer patients special plush pillows, it was a perfect cozy match.
As part of the partnership’s #HugOneGiveOne campaign, Pillow of Health matches any purchase of their kids pillow with a donation of one pillow to a child with cancer at Lurie. The Cal’s Angels team delivers it at one of their monthly hospital pizza parties.
Stacey Sutter founded Cal’s Angels after she lost her 12-year-old stepson Cal to leukemia in 2006.
“When we saw firsthand how affected these families are — you see people losing jobs, losing homes, losing marriages, families imploding — we knew that we wanted to do something to give back,” Sutter said. “And Cal was always a very giving person himself.”
The group raises awareness and funding for research, and offers memorable experiences, or wishes, for the sick children, in addition to its #HugOneGiveOne efforts.
The pillows are colorful and two-sided, with fleece on one end and moisture-wicking fabric on the other.
“(The pillow) just makes sense for a child walking into a hospital, scared about a sterile environment: There’s nothing from home,” Sutter said. “And then the other side (is for) when they’re having bad nights and there are all kinds of side effects — and one of them is night sweats — they just flip it over and you can still use the same pillow.”
Pillow of Health founder John Rukel said his company has donated more than 2,000 pillows to Lurie patients so far and hopes to connect with other charities in the near future. Pillows can be purchased at hugonegiveone.com or through calsangels.org for $49.95.
Because visiting strangers can be a lot for sick kids to handle, Sutter says other than donating a pillow, volunteer opportunities with Cal’s Angels are limited. Instead, she recommends those who want to support the charity attend a fundraising event like the Got Hope Gala Feb. 24 or reach out to her team to see what volunteering needs they have in the coming months.
Gwendolyn Purdom is a RedEye freelancer.