Thirteen year old Rory Goldstein from Denver, Colorado remembers her grandmother fondly. “We called her Bubs. We were extremely close. She was extremely close to all her grandchildren. She would spoil us to the extreme and she was always there for our special moments like birthday parties, performances, you name it, even though we live out of state.”
Sharon Shelton, aka Bubs, lived in Oklahoma City. After a complicated illness, Shelton spent her final days at the INTEGRIS Hospice House in Oklahoma City. But before she died, Rory had given her a very special gift. “I made her a very soft pillow case for her 70th birthday, just a few months before she died. Sewing is one of my hobbies and something I enjoy doing. She could not get out of bed at this point and I just wanted to make her comfortable and happy,” says Goldstein. While Shelton couldn’t verbally thank Rory for the gift, Rory says she could tell she liked it by her smile. (story continues below)
Shelton passed away on June 1, 2021 at the age of 70. “I felt so upset because she was so special and was one in a million,” states Goldstein. “You don’t realize how important and amazing something is until it is gone.”
Rory turned to sewing to help her grieve. She began making Peaceful Pillows as she calls them in memory of her Bubs. “It was healing for me to make the pillows. It made me feel closer to her,” Goldstein admits. “I wanted to make others feel as comfortable as my Bubs did in her final days so I just kept making them.” In fact, she has now established a nonprofit called the Peaceful Pillow Project.
On Nov. 23, Rory and her family traveled from Colorado to donate 14 Peaceful Pillows to the INTEGRIS Hospice House. “I chose INTEGRIS Hospice to be the first recipients of the pillows because that’s where my grandmother Bubs was. They made her so comfortable and helped my family so much in those final months.” She adds, “When my Bubs was alive she had a way of bringing people together and creating community. She was always helping people. I want to help people in her memory.”
Sarah Minor, D.O., is the medical director of the INTEGRIS Hospice House. “We are so very appreciative of these pillows. We know they will bring many other families comfort and peace. It is so encouraging to see someone so young trying to make a difference in this world. I know her Bubs would be very proud.”
Goldstein would eventually like to send her Peaceful Pillows to Hospice facilities across the country.
Visit: www.peacefulpillowproject.com to learn more about the Peaceful Pillow Project or to donate.