Handmade prostheses help women who have had mastectomies
UCHealth is proud to partner with Colorado Knitted Knockers and knitters throughout northern Colorado to change women’s lives with their knitting needles.
The group is hosting a special Breast Cancer Awareness Month Knitted Knocker Knit-a-thon from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at The Wellness Place at the UCHealth Cancer Center, 2121 E. Harmony Road, in Fort Collins.
Knitted Knockers provides soft, comfortable, homemade prostheses to women who have had mastectomies or other breast procedures. Traditional prostheses are usually expensive and can be heavy and uncomfortable for some women to wear. The Knitted Knockers are made from soft, durable, machine washable cotton yarn in all shapes, sizes and skin tones and filled with a soft batting.
Colorado Knitted Knockers is a local branch of a larger nonprofit organization dedicated to providing breast cancer survivors around the world with knitted knockers. The local group was organized by two northern Colorado women with a passion for knitting and helping other women. They officially organized the group in 2017 with the support of UCHealth Northern Colorado Foundation and numerous community partners, including knit shops. In its first year, the Colorado chapter made, packaged and labeled more than 1,300 individual knockers. Since then, even more knitters in more communities have join the effort to support the effort. This chapter works in partnership with Great Knockers Again in Denver, and together, the two groups distributed approximately 1,450 knockers in the northern Colorado and Denver areas last year.
Knitters and crocheters of all levels are invited to attend the knit-a-thon. The hosts will provide the yarn, notions, patterns, guidance and instruction, snacks and drinks. Knitters are asked to bring 6” or 7” (preferred) Size US4 or US5 double-point knitting needles or Size G Crochet Hooks. Those who want to participate but don’t know how to knit can help in a variety of other ways, including stuffing or packaging the knockers.
The knockers that will be created during this event will stock distributions sites at cancer centers in Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley, Steamboat Springs and Gunnison.
To register for the event, interested knitters and helpers should go to the Facebook event page at bit.ly/Knockers1019.
For questions or more information on the event, contact Deanna Krausse at (970) 402-5330 or email [email protected]. The group is online at bit.ly/COKnittedKnockers.
About UCHealth
UCHealth is an innovative, nonprofit health system that delivers the highest quality medical care with an excellent patient experience. With 24,000 employees, UCHealth includes 12 acute-care full-service hospitals and hundreds of physicians across Colorado, southern Wyoming and western Nebraska. With University of Colorado Hospital on the Anschutz Medical Campus as its academic anchor and the only adult academic medical center in the region, UCHealth is dedicated to providing unmatched patient care in the Rocky Mountain West. With more than 150 clinic locations, UCHealth pushes the boundaries of medicine, providing advanced treatments and clinical trials and improving health through innovation.