The Launch of Little Hats, Big Hearts

Little Hats, Big Hearts was launched Tuesday at San Angelo Community Medical Center (SACMC). Founder, Nancy Rink Johnson, accompanied by 26 volunteers from the Concho Valley, Sonora and Del Rio, were on hand to launch the heart-warming project as the first in Texas. SACMC’s team of physicians, nurses and administrators applauded the effort.

The project involves volunteers knitting hats for newborns for the month of February, heart month. It is designed to raise awareness about heart disease and congenital heart defects, particularly in children.

Dr. Michael Blanc who practices Interventional Cardiology at Community said that the program to raise awareness fits squarely in his wheelhouse. “Congenital heart disease is still the leading cause of death in kids,” Blanc said. “In the U.S. this year, there will be 40,000 kids born with some kind of congenital heart defect. Worldwide, there will be a million children.” Of those, approximately 100,000 will die before their first birthday, the doctor said. Blanc noted that in the U.S., the number of children dying of a congenital heart failure outpaces pediatric cancer by a factor of two.

The growing group of West Texas women was founded by Johnson. Already hundreds of hats have been knitted in anticipation of distributing them to hospitals in Texas during the month of February.

Johnson learned of the program last year through an ad on a knitting website, requesting little red hats for babies born in Chicago during the month of February to raise awareness about heart disease. She and a friend made hats and sent them to the Chicago hospital. She learned that even though it was active in several states, it had not been introduced to Texas. That thought prompted the launch today. She wanted to contribute something to Dr. Michael Blanc, her cardiologist from San Angelo, who faithfully sees patients in Sonora, including Johnson.

“The project is designed to raise awareness about heart disease, the number one killer of Americans, and congenital heart defects, the most common type of birth defects in this country. San Angelo Community Medical Center will be the first hospital in Texas to participate in this program. We have been working with Dr. Blanc and Jamie Muth, director of the American Heart Association in San Angelo, as well as SACMC to launch this program.”

Johnson is extending an invitation to knitters, crocheters, and loomers to participate by donating finished baby hats in newborn and preemie sizes. “The hats are quick and easy and make a great weekend project for a worthy cause,” said Johnson. Hats are to be made with medium weight red cotton or acrylic yarn. Hats should not have buttons, bows or pom-poms because they pose a danger to babies. The deadline for all hats to be sent is January 15, 2016. The hats can be mailed to Nancy Johnson in Sonora or taken to the Chandler Cottage in San Angelo, located in the old Sugar Baker's location, 1821 Knickerbocker Rd, Suite E.

“We now have a growing group of volunteers in Sonora and other towns that are devoting their spare time and efforts to this worthwhile project.” Those interested in knitting for the program can contact Nancy Johnson.

The group’s  name is "Knitting Hats for Little Hearts. “We would like to see this program grow to cover all the hospitals across Texas,” said Johnson.

Contact Johnson at [email protected] or her cell phone, 325-227-6985.