30 Apr 2024 501Der Women 2024: A tight-knit team

Posted at 7:37 PMh in 501Der Women, Features by

By Colleen Holt

A group of young ladies at Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock have partnered with a nationwide foundation to create free-knitted prostheses for breast cancer survivors.

Members of the Krafty Belles, a new student club at the school, along with their sponsor Tara Gilmore, are collaborating with the Knitted Knockers Support Foundation to donate prostheses to women who have had breast cancer surgery.

Coach Tara Gilmore (from left) sponsors the Krafty Belles Club and Blakely Potts and Aubree McCullough are enthusiastic members.

The group recently donated 20 finished pairs to the CARTI Cancer Center in Little Rock, while five more went directly to other women in Arkansas, some of whom had direct connections to Mount St. Mary. While at CARTI, the students visited with doctors and even did a TikTok video with them.

“The Breast Center at CARTI is committed to walking alongside patients for every step of their journeys, whether preparing them for their first mammogram or offering counsel on which breast prostheses may be right for them,” said Dr. Stacey Smith-Foley with CARTI Cancer Center. “We were thrilled to hear about the Krafty Belles Club’s dedication to uplifting and supporting other women’s health and wellness.”

According to a press release from the school, the special breast prostheses provide a soft and more comfortable alternative to the traditional silicone prostheses. Recipients are women who have undergone a mastectomy or a lumpectomy.

“Many patients had heard about the knitted knockers and called or stopped by The Bridge at CARTI to learn more,” Smith-Foley said. “Women have loved how light, soft and comfortable the prostheses are and are especially pleased that they come in different sizes, which allows the potential wearer to tailor them to their moods, outfits or needs.”

The Krafty Belles club, one of 60 clubs at Mount St. Mary, was created after Gilmore discussed crocheting with a student last year. They shared stories about other students who had made cute animals, etc., and realized there was an interest at the school in knitting and crocheting. Since the school’s clubs must have a social component, she started looking at websites for ideas. “The Knitted Knockers program spoke to me immediately,” Gilmore said. “I mentioned it to the student, and she was excited. The program just resonated with a lot of things we do at Mount.”

The Krafty Belles currently have eight members. At the initial sign-up, 50 or so were interested. Not everyone knew how to crochet or knit, so they were encouraged to use YouTube videos and other shared resources to learn the craft and come back to the club when they had completed some projects.

The Krafty Belles use specific patterns and approved yarn. “I’m one of the faster crocheters, so it takes me about two hours to make it,” club member Aubree McCullough said. “It all varies on the size and the kind of yarn. There is lots of counting involved.” The students quickly started to share the information with their friends and classmates. They surprisingly found connections very close to them. The first knitted prostheses actually went to a family member of a current student.

The knitting project has truly hit home with Blakely Potts, another member of the club. “I really like crocheting. When I learned that we were helping breast cancer survivors, I recalled how my grandma died of breast cancer. It makes a huge difference,” she said.  “This program is spreading through word of mouth and a little bit of eavesdropping,” Gilmore laughed.

CARTI is sending money to help the Krafty Belles afford materials, as it is very expensive to buy in bulk. The young ladies are also holding fundraisers by selling hats, scarves and toys they have knitted during activities at Mount St. Mary. They have an Amazon wish list that also allows people to purchase supplies for the club. The group recently started working on crocheting Santa hats for the March of Dimes to give to premature babies born during the holidays.

Through the Knitted Knockers program, more than 800,000 knitted prostheses have been created and donated by more than 6,000 groups. For more information, please visit knittedknockers.org.