Juliana Hearts

Hey folks, I thought I'd posted this a while back, but seem to have forgotten to mention it here.

Last year, a friend from my knitting group, Juliana, died following a long wait for a heart transplant. We wanted to do something to remember her, and came up with this plan -- to knit a collection of little stuffed hearts and give them away as gifts to people. There are really two reasons for this:
First, I'm certain that Juliana wouldn't want people to be sad because of her, regardless of the circumstances. I think it's really a fitting tribute to her to give these gifts away, (hopefully) to bring some happiness to as many people as possible.

Second, we hope that by doing this we can raise awareness of organ donation. I really hadn't thought about organ donation until Juliana became ill, I'd always just put it off. So I really want to encourage people to think about it, to make a definite decision. I'd also encourage people (donors or not) to read the stories on the Legacy of Life website, they do a great job of showing the positive side of organ donation.

So, that's the project.
I've made quite a few of these hearts now, and they're mostly pictured here. I've also written up the pattern for the hearts, which is available as a free Ravelry download, in case anyone would like to make some for themselves.

If I can give you a heart, let me know! As I say, the aim is to give them as widely as possible, so this is really open to everyone. You don't have to be an organ donor, and you don't have to be not-an-organ-donor either, it's all about spreading the happiness.
I also have a bunch of the books from Legacy of Life, which have some really amazing stories and I would totally recommend, so if I can give you one of those let me know too.
And of course, do think about whether you would want to be an organ donor. Then tell people! Preferably your next of kin!

*Also*, how amazing is it that organ transplants are possible? Go Science!

Hugh.