Diamond Valley quilters help hospital pay fitting tribute

Three members of the Griffiths Quilters and Crafts have donated a quilt that will serve an important role at Oilfields General Hospital in Diamond Valley. 

Beth Stade, Pat Collison and Norma Wynne created the quilt, complete with a white rose theme, that will be used to cover residents when they leave the palliative care unit. 

Stade said members of the group, which meets every Monday at the Griffiths Centre to do a variety of fiber arts, do charitable work on an ongoing basis, so when the hospital reached out with the quilt request, it was a natural fit. 

Stade, who is the coordinator of the group, said it took a while to find an appropriate fabric, but once they came upon a navy blue with white roses, it provided inspiration to get the project moving forward. 

She said it took the better part of three months to finish the quilt, but the response they received when they presented it on April 15 made all that effort worthwhile. 

“When you do a project like this, we are always a little bit unsure of the response, but when Danelle saw it, tears welled up in her eyes and that spoke volumes to us,” Stade said. "It was like, we did this, we got this right.” 

Danelle Kilbourn, care manager at Rising Sun Long Term Care at Oilfields General Hospital, said when someone leaves the palliative care unit, they’ll often play a song requested by that resident or their family that creates a moment that’s meaningful to staff members and other residents. 

“We didn't have something that we could put over them as they leave, so having the quilt means that moment where the staff come out and sort of reflect and honour that person is that much more beautiful,” said Kilbourn. 

The palliative care program has a white rose theme, so the donated quilt is in keeping with that motif. 

Kilbourn said it was quite emotional to see community members create something so beautiful. 

“It seems like something small, like a quilt, but because it was made with so much love and thoughtfulness, it's just a great way for us to enhance that compassionate care that we like to provide at end of life,” she said.