An Ottawa woman is making sure those who are undergoing cancer treatment know they are not alone. For more than a decade, Ruth Shevel has been crocheting blankets and donating them to the cancer centre at the Ottawa Hospital General Campus. Recently, she reached a milestone of completing more than 1,000 blankets. “I like to know that people are getting this comfort from me,” says Shevel. “It is something close to my heart.” Her project is called Project Comfort Crochet. It began after she lost her daughter Kelly to cancer 25 years ago. “She was a bubbly girl. She had an infectious laugh, and she was very much a family girl,” says Shevel. She says she has been crocheting or knitting for six decades, and she does it everywhere she goes. Every day, Shevel estimates she crochets for eight to 10 hours. “It just relaxes me,” she says. “It’s just fun to see how it’s going to turn out… it’s just something I just enjoy doing so much.” Shevel wants each blanket to come with a message of comfort and love for those undergoing the treatment, but also for their families. “It is because it’s cancer. I just feel that they need the warmth. They need the love. They need the care. Because that’s a terrible disease and it hits everybody. It’s not just here and there,” she says. “It’s everybody you talk to.” Teresa, Ruth’s other daughter, says she is proud of what her mother has accomplished. “I think it’s amazing to have the commitment to be able to do that many blankets and donate them consistently every several months. It’s pretty amazing,” she says. “I have heard from many cancer patients that I know they get cold and chilled going through treatments, so this will help to keep them warm. I envision them bringing it with them and just using it to help keep them warm and think of the person maybe that made it.” Shevel says she gets some material donated but all her blankets are paid out of her own pocket. She plans on continuing to crochet and donate the blankets for as long as she can. “Until I can’t do it anymore,” she says. “There’s no real goal. It’s just as long as I can do it, I intend to do it.”
