Falls Church, Virginia – (December 20, 2012) –This holiday season marks a milestone for Peg and Nick Brown. The couple recently delivered Peg’s 1,000th granny-square afghan blanket — all which she personally crocheted — to the NICU at Inova Children’s Hospital
Peg’s dedication began in 2004 when she learned that some babies went home from the hospital wrapped in a towel because mothers could not afford anything.
“Something in my heart told me that these babies needed a hug,” Peg shared. “I hope that these blankets show the parents and the babies, that someone is thinking about them.”
She began knitting booties and made over 300 pairs for the hospital. However, because they would quickly be outgrown, she switched to afghans, which can be used and kept for years. Sometimes, the afghans are also used as a bereavement remembrance.
Making Afghans for the NICU is a personal calling for Peg. It gives her great satisfaction to know that some needy families have babies going home wrapped in a brightly-colored, snuggly afghan. Since her retirement, Peg made 200 afghans each year — equivalent to a full-time job. It takes 10 hours to make one afghan (over 10,000 hours of work).
In recent years Peg has overcome many obstacles in order to continue crocheting. While facing lung cancer, she continued to work and crochet while recovering from surgeries in both lungs and chemotherapy. Peg felt total sadness in July 2012, when shoulder and back pain prevented her from crocheting. Last September, she was diagnosed with Stage IV bone cancer. With radiation therapy for pain, she was able to complete the final 20 of her 1,000 Afghans in December.
On the delivery day, they received numerous thank yous, roses and the prestigious March of Dimes Starfish Award. This award is usually given to staff that families feel have gone beyond the call of duty. Peg and Nick are the first non-March of Dimes staff members to receive the starfish pin for truly making a difference. In 2012, Peg and Nick were also honored by Volunteer Fairfax, with the Volunteer Family of the Year award.
Peg’s 1,000th Afghan will be framed and hung in the NICU– a keepsake that will mark the thousands of hours that Peg has committed to the children who spend time in the NICU and the lives that she has touched through her work.
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Inova is a not-for-profit health care system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services, including emergency- and urgent-care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova’s mission is to improve the health of the diverse community it serves through excellence in patient care, education and research.
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Just to pass the word, my mother, Peggy Brown, succumbed to her cancer and passed away February 16th, 2013. When she passed in her sleep, she did so under a warm afghan that my sister made for her, using mom's own pattern. The 1000th afghan she donated was the last one she ever had the strength to make, making it even that much more special.