Iowa woman gifts cashmere to breast cancer patients in honor of her sister
By Laura Terrell
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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — One Johnston woman is honoring her late sister by gifting a cashmere wrap to as many women as she can who are going through breast cancer treatment across the state.
JoAnn Manning started MadeKindly, a foundation that has provided these comforting gifts to nearly 500 women.
“We like to think that it gives each patient a little boost, a little boost of joy when they are potentially terrified of what’s coming. There is so much uncertainty with a cancer diagnosis and these are warm, comforting and they can be worn in the treatment room,” said JoAnn Manning.
Manning started MadeKindly in 2022 in honor of her sister, Mary Kay Zumbach-Gillotti, who died from breast cancer in 2019.
“We were living far apart from one another when she was diagnosed, so I couldn’t be there to help her. So I would send her these gifts, and she loved them so much. She said every cancer patient needs one of these,” said Manning.
Manning has distributed the gifts to metro hospitals including John Stoddard Cancer, MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center and Broadlawns Hematology and Oncology Center.
Thanks to generous donors, Manning has been able to expand to more rural areas including Greater Regional Health in Creston and MercyOne Newton Medical Center.
“To serve the underserved or those who are far away from maybe a luxury item like a cashmere wrap was really her (Mary Kay) wish,” said Manning.
The medical staff at each location distributes the gifts to women beginning treatment. John Stoddard Cancer Center Program Coordinator Rachel Fyfe says it is a rewarding experience to watch the joy it brings. Fyfe still remembers one of the first patients she was able to gift a cashmere wrap.
“She put it on, shared the story with the person sitting next to her, and she just felt so special and felt the kindness of that gift,” said Fyfe.
You can donate to MadeKindly on its website. Every dollar that comes in goes to the gifts, and MadeKindly can send a cashmere wrap anywhere in the country to a woman going through treatment.
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