By Jeanette Lindenman

In late July we received a call from our 27 year old son, Alex, in Minnesota.   There was clearly something wrong… “Kendall has cancer!”  He began to sob.  

Kendall, Alex’s wife and my daughter-in-law, is 26 and was just diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer – no family history, this literally came out of nowhere.  The diagnosis was devastating!  The long journey began… testing, doctors, scans, procedures, more doctors and lots of prayers.  We gathered an army of loved ones to connect with Kendall and Alex through CaringBridge.org, and I have been blessed with the task of keeping Team Kendall informed of her progress throughout her journey.  

Writing in Caring Bridge has been cathartic for me, a way to share information, emotions and prayers through the written word – a true blessing.  At one point early in the testing phase of her journey, Kendall shared “she felt like a ball of yarn bouncing down a never-ending staircase, unraveling all the way.”  Well that got me to thinking and researching.  Who knew Googling “Yarn and Cancer” would have lead me on a remarkable journey of my own.  I came across an amazing organization “KnittedKnockers.org”. 

Knitted Knockers Mission

Connect volunteer knitters and crocheters with breast cancer survivors to offer free Knitted Knockers to any woman who wants them. There is a huge demand for Knitted Knockers that can’t be met by any one group but together we can do it! If someone in each area will set a goal of meeting the need in just their county it can happen!

Knitted Knockers are special handmade breast prosthesis for women who have undergone mastectomies or other procedures to the breast. Traditional breast prosthetics are usually expensive, heavy, sweaty and uncomfortable. They typically require special bras or camisoles with pockets and can’t be worn for weeks after surgery. Knitted Knockers on the other hand are soft, comfortable, beautiful and when placed in a regular bra they take the shape and feel of a real breast. Our special volunteer knitters provide these FREE to those requesting them.

KnittedKnockers.org to get involved.   

Jeannette Lindenman

400 Misty Morning Lane

jlindenman@comcast.net

P.S. In case you were wondering about Kendall, tests revealed that her cancer was not genetic and therefore they did not need to do a hysterectomy. The PET Scan illuminated a tumor in her stomach – a “GIST” unrelated to the breast cancer.  Turns out the GIST was worst than the breast cancer, and if left undiagnosed would have caused significant problems for her in her 40’s.  Hard to believe the her breast cancer diagnosis was actually a blessing in disguise!  She underwent a double mastectomy, and successful removal of the GIST.  Lymph nodes were removed, and found to be clear from cancer.  She began a 20 week treatment regimen of chemo last week, and the overall prognosis is very good.  Kendall and Alex are beginning to see glimpses of the very bright light at the end of the tunnel. 

Some quick facts:

• 1 out of 8 women will experience breast cancer sometime in their lifetime
• There are 50,000 mastectomies done a year in the US alone and 90% will wear a breast prosthesis at least for awhile
• Knittedknockers.org provides free patterns, downloaded over 1,000,000 times
• Our videos have been viewed over 600,000 times
• Postage alone is over $4,000 per month
• We are providing 8 to 10,000 free knockers per month. We can only do that because of those amazing volunteers!
• We love it when an individual or group making knockers registers with us on our provider directory so others can find them to help out. We have over 771 registered individual and groups on the directory.
• Many women find the traditional breast prosthesis hot, heavy, and expensive
• We work with many medical centers across the country to provide knitted knockers directly to their patients. We have over 1,400 medical clinics registered with us.

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