Albion 8th-graders make pillows, ponchos for breast cancer patients

Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Amber Lowery, an Albion 8th-grader, holds a pillow she made for recovering breast cancer patients.

Amber and other students in Mrs. Kim Toombs’ Family and Consumer Sciences class have been making pillows and ponchos for breast cancer patients.

Toombs was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2014. After surgery, she completed chemotherapy and radiation in January 2015.

Kim Toombs gets the thread lined up so student Julie Porter can sew a poncho for a breast cancer patient.

The class will deliver the ponchos and pillows later this month when they take a field trip to the Pluta Cancer Center through Strong Memorial Hospital, the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester, and Highland Hospital.

Toombs said she received help through all three organizations.

“I didn’t know there was a need until I went through it myself,” Toombs said about the pillows and ponchos.

Ella Knaak shows one of the ponchos she made in class. The students are making 70 ponchos, 50 medium-size pillows and 50 small pillows to be given to breast cancer patients.

Angel Rushing, front, Deyonci Farley and other eighth-graders work on the ponchos during class today.

Toombs wears a sticker noting she is a breast cancer survivor.

She thanked her students for working so hard on the project in class.

“They are doing a great with them,” she said.