I WANT Foundation

Photo courtesy of Kye Lee, photographer- Dallas Morning News

The I.W.A.N.T. Foundation has named the Pass a Pillow Project in memory of Susan "Nonnie" McCarthy. Susan was the original seamstress for the Pass a Pillow Project. Susan worked tirelessly for the project sewing and stuffing pillows for breast cancer patients. Susan passed away, July 30, 2009 from lung cancer. In honor of her life and support of the foundation, the Pass a Pillow Project has been renamed to the Susan McCarthy Pass a Pillow Project.

While recuperating from a bilateral mastectomy, Nikki Thomas was given a special set of pillows shaped like a purse by her cousin. Our family hadn’t seen anything like it. The pillows provided comfort from the scars, wounds and discomfort of her surgery. Nikki used the pillows while riding in the car, walking around, and even as she lied down to rest. As a result of seeing how much comfort and joy the pillows provided her, her Second Mom, LaTonya “Toni” Thomas, decided to take a pillow to a co-worker to see if it could be duplicated. It was from there that the Pass a Pillow Project was born. Toni took her first set of pillows to Nikki’s breast surgeon’s office in June 2008. These pillows provided peace and comfort to other ailing patients experiencing what sisters Nikki and Andrea had been through. The pillows brought immediate smiles and lots of joy to the patients, doctor and office staff. To date, Toni has delivered more than 100 sets of pillows to breast cancer patients in the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) area. Through donations provided to The I W.A.N.T. Foundation the Pass a Pillow Project will continue to provide comforting pillows to many patients in DFW, Texas, the US and hopefully all over the world.

For more information on the Pass a Pillow Project, or to make a donation, please contact Toni Thomas at 214-395-3477.