Quilts comfort young patients at Hudson Hospital

• Patient Kate Bonhage with “Goodnight Moon” storybook quilt

“Goodnight Moon” storybook quilt – a childhood favorite was Kate Bonhage’s choice as a patient with the Pediatric Chemotherapy and Infusion Center at Hudson Hospital & Clinics. The storybook quilts are donated by The Willow River Piecemakers Quilt Guild of New Richmond. With Kate are staff members, from left, Elizabeth Owens, RN, Patricia Larsen, RN and Tom Dodge, RN. Submitted photo

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Compassionate storybook quilts are now comforting patients at Hudson seeking infusion care at the new Pediatric Chemotherapy and Infusion Center at Hudson Hospital & Clinics.

Pieced with care, each quilt depicts a favorite childhood storybook theme. These cleverly crafted quilts are donated to pediatric patients.

All pediatric patients receive a storybook quilt, donated by The Willow River Piecemakers Quilt Guild of New Richmond. Their goal is to create “Caring Quilts – for folks in our community going through tough times.” They’ve created approximately 80 quilts per year. So far, four colorful storybook quilts have been donated to the Pediatric Chemotherapy and Infusion Center at Hudson Hospital & Clinics. These quilts have also been donated to young patients experiencing surgery or serious illness at the Cancer Center of Western Wisconsin and Westfields Hospital, New Richmond.

Opening just last year, the Pediatric Chemotherapy and Infusion Center at Hudson Hospital & Clinics provides patients infusion therapy in a healing environment closer to home. In partnership with Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, pediatric patients from western Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota needing infusion treatments now have convenient local access to care.

Care is provided by a consistent team of hematology/oncology specialists and trained nurses and pediatricians. The clinic has also partnered with Hudson Physicians Pediatricians to provide seamless care at the Hudson campus.

“It’s a relief to have this care we can trust at Hudson — close to home, and less intimidating than traveling to larger facilities in the Twin Cities,” said Susan Bonhage of Hudson, whose daughter Kate is receiving infusion therapy treatment at the Pediatric Chemotherapy

and Infusion Center.

She receives care from health professionals she’s familiar with, including Tom Dodge, RN, a former hematology/oncology nurse at Children’s, now at the Pediatric Chemotherapy and Infusion Center in Hudson and Dr. Yoav Messinger, hematologist/oncologist, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota who sees cancers and blood disorders at the Hudson center. Pediatrician’s Dr. Kari Campbell and Dr. Elizabeth Schertz, Hudson Physicians – WWMA are also seeing pediatric patients here.

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