DETROIT – Kind gestures can mean the world to those who need them. At times, a grand gesture is what’s necessary to help someone in need, and sometimes it’s the simplest things that can mean the world and have the longest-lasting impact on someone.
The latter is true for comfort blankets. To some, it may seem like something unremarkable- just a blanket- but to the families of organ donors, these blankets are so much more. They serve as a reminder of their loved ones, a way to honor them and their sacrifices, and a reminder of the lives their decisions, or the decision to donate their organs, have saved. They’re made by volunteers and donated to these families, and fortunately, there are always more opportunities for more people to make these blankets for families that need a bit of comfort in a trying time.
Since 2010, the Gift of Life Comfort Blanket Program -- brainchild of the Michigan Donor Family Council -- has been giving these blankets to families of organ donors; providing a sense of comfort and something for families to remember their loved ones by.
Passyon Wilson, a mother who courageously donated the organs of her 5-month-old son, Amari, following his sudden passing is someone who’s received one of these blankets. Despite the heartbreak she felt, she’s able to find comfort when she uses them to remember her child and the gift of life he gave to someone else. “I had them on my baby, you know?” Wilson told Local 4, “And that was a keepsake for me, you know. And I never washed them or nothing. I put them in a bag, so they still got his smell, if I want to smell them.”
One of Amari’s heart valves was used to save the life of another infant.
Since the program’s establishment, their efforts have grown, with many more people now volunteering to help make these blankets for families that need them and several opportunities for others to get involved.
In 2021, 560 comfort blankets were made for donor families, with 429 families receiving them. In 2022, 584 comfort blankets were made and given to 463 families. And last year in 2023, 1,213 blankets were made and donated to 578 families.
For those who wish to get involved and make more of these blankets for donor families, the Gift of Life Comfort Blanket Program is hosting an event at the Henry Ford Centennial Library on Tuesday, April 30th. For more information and how to register for the event, more information can be found here.
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