Sandel seniors sew pillows for 'Necessities Bags"

With the help of volunteers from the Sandel Senior Center, women facing mastectomies can take comfort from a free “Necessities Bag,” assembled to help them prepare for their hospital stay and their subsequent recovery at home with practical guidance and essential supplies.

The brainchild of Maureen Hogan Lutz, who founded and is the president of Necessities, Inc. a 501c(3) charitable organization, the bags contain carefully thought-out items to help breast cancer patients through the immediate recovery period, easing their transition from patient to survivor. Lutz, who lives in Connecticut but has connections on Long Island, visited with Sandel Senior Center members and staff on a rainy Wednesday afternoon last week, when she arrived at the center to share her story and meet the center members who volunteered and sewed well over 100 “comfort pillows,” a centerpiece of the bags, in a month’s time.

Diagnosed with breast cancer that led to a mastectomy six years ago, Lutz said it was devastating on many levels — it “attacks us in our womanly essence.” She was physically and emotionally overwhelmed. It took her time to process what had happened, and during that time, Lutz said she thought of her grandmother, her role model, who had taught her so much of what it is to be a woman. She said she knew that to come through, she would have to do something for other women going through the same experience.

Doctors don’t tell you everything, Lutz said, so it became her mission to reach out to women to tell them what they would need. It began with simple, wonderful pillows that provide relief in the area of surgery and which can even be used under seatbelts. The soft, cushioning pillows are lovingly hand made by volunteers and include notes that bring the voices, the touch and the laughter of caring people to the surgery patients. It makes the women feel like they’re not alone, Lutz said.

“When you deal with this kind of surgery you should have everything you need,” she said. Other items in the Necessities Bags, that breast and plastic surgeons in the area are asked to give to their patients, are large, and all-purpose cushioned bandages; gentle paper tape; Bacitracin ointment; soft, cotton t-shirts; ribbon to help with surgical drains; pre-moistened wash cloths; a pocket folder, memo pad and pen, to keep track of doctor instructions, medications and questions for the doctor; lip balm to sooth and moisten lips after surgery; water bottle with a pop top for after surgery; life savers, a treat to counter nausea and for a dry mouth; an emery board for that one annoying chipped nail; a pack of tissues, and a booklet, “The Woman to Woman Guide to Prepare for Mastectomy,” that offers simple, practical tips for women on how to prepare themselves and their homes for the surgery and the recovery. In addition to those items, the bags also include a stamped envelope and a pen, encouraging women to write to her, expressing how they feel.

After listening to Lutz, Sandel senior center sewers said they were more motivated than ever to continue to produce the comfort pillows for the Necessities Bag, with material and stuffing Lutz supplies, while others are planning to gather to assemble bags at a later date.

For more information on the organization, established in July 2005 and based in Ridgefield, Ct., visit www.necessities bag.org. Said, Lutz, whose organization has grown to serve patients in Connecticut, Westchester and Long Island, and has independent affiliates in 10 states that are run by nurses who have copied the idea, “No matter what I do for the rest of my life, this is probably the most important thing I’ll do.”