One Blanket At A Time By Soline Gauthier
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little boy is in a hospitable bed, surrounded by attentive surgeons and nurses. Anxious parents, beeping and flashing medical instruments. Colas Gauthier is 11 years old, small for his age, his face is bruised and deformed. He comes in and out of consciousness, breathing loud, and sometimes speaking few whispered words. “I’m sorry mom...I’m sorry.” Relapsing into a feverish sleep he continues to mumble “mommy help me..I’m falling..help me.”
This is the predicament my brother found himself in 14 years ago, fighting for his life in the Intensive Care Unit at the Lucile Packard Hospital in Stanford. Colas cannot remember how he ended up in the hospital; he can scarcely even remember the accident. His parents, however, pieced together what happened to him, based on the fleeting flashes of his memory. Colas fell 12 feet from the first story of his school into the staircase, landing on the concrete floor below.
He suffered from bleeding in the brain for several days, one shoulder fracture, and seven face and skull fractures. His right orbital cavity was completely destroyed, his right eye was sinking into his skull, and bone fragments were floating around his brain. Throughout his ordeal he was surrounded by a team of surgeons with different specialties, an army of nurses, and his family. Without realizing that Colas was listening in, the troop of doctors would stand di-
rectly above him discussing his case, its perplexities, and their complete loss as to what to do. His skull resembled a jigsaw puzzle and the doctors did not know what to do about it. Naturally, Colas was distressed and scared for his life. The doctors planned for him to undergo six surgeries to rebuild his skull piece by piece. The morn-
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“It’s very common that children have a snuggly little piece of cloth or blanket that they use to gain security,” ing of the first surger y
one doctor told his parents that the surgeons and other doctors had collectively decided not to perform any surgeries on Colas. The swelling in his face needed to come down first. After a few days he was sent back home so that he may wait for the swelling of his face to go down from his own bed. After it had, he would go under the knife only once, rather than six times, in the hopes of having his orbital cavity rebuilt. After the surgery, Colas’ health improved dramatically. His friends started to visit him at the hospital, bringing him gifts and Get Well letters. Among his visitors were a priest, a psychologist, and an old lady holding a blanket. This was the first moment the blanket from Project Linus entered Colas’s life. ************************** For many of the children who receive these
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blankets from Project Linus, it’s their only source of solace and warmth” (Loucks 10). It can also provide psychological support when a child experiences a traumatic moment in his or her life. Sharon Lee, the Chapter Coordinator for the San Jose South Bay Area Chapter for Project Linus, truly believes that these blankets not only bring joy to the community of blanketeers of Project Linus, but also to blanket recipients. “It’s very common that children have a snuggly little piece of cloth or blanket that they use to gain security,” asserts Lee. Isabelle Wimmers, a volunteer with Project Linus and avid blanketeer, describes what she thinks the blanket provides to a child: “I hope that it will help and give them comfort. Help them if they are by themselves, or if they are cold or sad.” Wimmers serves as the webmaster for the San Jose Chapter and keeps the website up-
dated. She also enjoys making blankets during her free time. Project Linus is a loving organization with two main goals. The first, to give love and support for children in crisis through the handmade gifts they give to them -- as they did for Colas. The second, to offer fun activities to the community that all ages will enjoy (Lee). “I have a friend, who makes a lot of blankets for Project Linus. [...] She is a little bit disabled, so that is her way for her to do something that is useful,” Wimmers shares about one of her dear friends. ************************** he name Linus has an interesting backstory:
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“You may be familiar with the Peanuts Comic Strip, in which the adorable little character Linus loves his blanket. Actually the concept of security blanket was not used until that comic strip came out and it became very popular,” said Lee. Project Linus asked Charles M. Schulz, creator of Peanuts Comic Strip, if they could use the character Linus as their logo and he generously allowed them (Lee). Project Linus was founded by Karen Loucks. One Sunday she was reading a magazine and glanced at the cover depicting a little girl wearing a long beautiful night gown. She was standing clutching a blanket and she was a patient at the Denver children’s 3
hospitable under cancer treatment (Lee). “And it just struck Karen Loucks at that time that something needs to be done to help these children,” said Lee. Since Loucks was already a knitter and a crocheter herself, she started to make blankets for the hospitalized children. She then invited enthusiastic friends to join her in making blankets for children in need. Soon enough the group of blanketeers was expanding (Lee). “The actual organization began as I just said 20 years ago and the first Chapter is actually on the East coast, as well as the Denver Chapter. And it’s just grown from there. And We have Chapters in all 50 states, and different areas that they cover,” said Lee. By March 1996, one hundred children undergoing treatment for cancer at the local hospital received a blanket. Lee says that the San Jose Chapter, “for the last few years, has been averaging between 6000 and 7000 blankets.” Project Linus has now grown into a worldwide charity that hands out around 2 million blankets (Making a Difference on NBCNEWS.com). “We swiftly expanded from supporting 4
hospitals, to aiding hospice, police and fire departments, shelters, school counselors, social workers, Ronald McDonald Houses, Make a Wish Foundation, specialty camps and more” (Loucks 87). They now give blankets to children’s camps such as Paul Newman’s Hole-in-the-Wall Gang and to special projects like Dr. Laura Schlessingers My Stuff Bags for homeless children. Blankets have also been donated to children who suffered due to the terrorist attack on 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. And now, Linus blankets are going to child soldiers in Iraq (American Profile). “Karen Loucks and her team of volunteers couldn’t put their arms around all the needy children in the world, so they’ve embraced thousands in the warmth of handmade security blanket stitching them together in hopes that a cozy cuddle might ease the fears of sick or suffering boys and girls,” said Lee. In the future Project Linus hopes to keep expanding and donating blankets. “Unfor-
tunately at this time we can’t provide blankets to every child that needs them, but that would be our ultimate goal,” said Lee. She looks forward to getting more blanketeers, not only to meet more people that share the same hobby and desire to help, but also to increase the number of blankets produced (Lee).
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************************** ee describes one her favorite moments working with Project Linus: “I have one experience where I was able to meet a group of children that was receiving blankets. The Golden Corral Restaurant Chain has a program called Camp Corral and it’s part of their greater mission to help support military families,” said Lee. These children have had a family member that has either been
injured or died in active mili- to give it to the young girl was not for me.” The blantary service. Lee was touched again, and she and the whole keteers put a lot of love and while she watched these chil- family were thrilled. We were positive energy into the makdren pick out their very own all thrilled! But it just shows ing of the blanket and that Project Linus blanket “and to how special these blankets the blanket provided a warm see the faces and the expres- can be,” said Lee. hug to Colas when he was sion on the kids,” she adds, ************************** sick and hope to his supportholding a blanket to her ers (Gauthier). “Like so many heart, a little children who received blantwinkle in her “I have always been mesmer- kets for Project Linus, each eyes. Looking at ized by the unspoken uni- of them touched my heart her, I could tell in a different way. I have versal language of a security she was thrilled always been mesmerized to be giving so by the unspoken universal blanket” much love and language of a security blanhappiness to these children ket” (Loucks 151). The blanophie Gauthier, my ket creator enabled Colas to and their families. mother, looks at my feel understood, positive, The national Project Linus website has a headline brother’s blanket in her and safe. Sophie concludes, under a picture of children hands. She strokes it. The “the blanket is a witness of wrapped in their blankets blanket, though gently used, what happened, and yes, it that says Spreading Blanket has brought such a big gift to is completely psychologically Hugs Nationwide. Lee says this family. “Do you believe and emotionally connected that Project Linus blankets that the blanket creates a big to what happen to Colas. are so important to some connection not only to the re- And if that does that to me, children that they have kept ceiver but the people around it definitely does something their Linus blanket until it?” I ask. My mom looks up more deeper to Colas.” adulthood and still treasure and says, “I think it it. “We even had one call is connected to his one time from lady who was accident. Connecta volunteer of ours and her ed to everything granddaughter had received that was around his a blanket as a young child and accident: the dockept it through high school. tors, the friends And when she moved to col- coming, the famlege it got lost.” Fortunately, ily… and strangers, one of the association vol- connecting with us unteers was able to replicate through that blanthe blanket from a photo- ket. It does somegraph (Lee). “They were able thing to me and it
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Works Cited Gauthier, Sophie. Personal Interview. 6 April. 2016. Lee, Sharon. Personal Interview. 18 Feb. 2016. Loucks, Karen. Working for Peanuts: The Project Linus Story.The United States of America: Adores Amore, 2011-07-01. Book. O’Neil, Roger. “’Project Linus’ Brings Comfort to Kids.” Msnbc.com. 22 Jan. 2007. Web. 11 Feb. 2016. “Project Linus National Headquarters.” Project Linus-Home. Web. 11 Mar. 2016. “Project Linus in the News - Home.” Project Linus in the News - Home. Web. 11 Mar. 2016. Wimmer, Isabelle. Personal Interview. 18 Feb. 2016. Van Pelt, Lori. “Project Linus.” American Profile Project Linus Comments. 8 Apr. 2001. Web. 11 Feb. 2016.
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