Fifth Grader’s Handcrafted Hats Brighten Holidays for Young Cancer Patients

Ten-year-old Lily Tomeo has a passion for sewing and clothing design, and since she was in second grade has been creating a line of fleece winter hats as gifts for her classmates and friends. This year, she decided, some of the young cancer patients at the local Nemours A.I. duPont Hospital for Children might benefit from her work.

With the help of her teacher, Wendy Nashed, Lily collected $67 in donations from her classmates at a Middle School jeans day and used that money to cover a portion of the costs of fleece, thread, and other materials. Over the next weeks, Lily worked diligently to design, cut, sew, and quality check 75 hats, planning the project around homework, music, and extracurricular commitments.

She and her family delivered the finished hats to the hospital on November 30, so that the children could receive them before cold weather set in. Lily also created 25 Christmas-themed pillowcases to brighten up hospital rooms.

Lily said she hoped the hospitalized children would be able to use the hats and be encouraged to fight their diseases, and that making the hats had been a good learning experience. “I learned that you want to help other people,” she said. “It's not just about yourself. When you help others, you encourage them.”