Family bearing special pillowcases returns to ICU where daughter died

A Northern Virginia family that suffered one of the worst possible tragedies is giving back to the hospital where their little girl died.

Jordynn Manning, 8, was struck by a care and pinned beneath it two years ago.

During an almost three-week vigil at Inova Children’s Hospital, her family had some brighter moments, like when nurses offered special pillowcases designed to make children and their loved ones smile a little.

“The first one that I picked out had llamas and alpacas on it,” said Kim Manning, Jordynn’s mom.

“It definitely brought me a smile to know that she would like that pillowcase,” she said.

The pillowcases are made by volunteers in chapters set up across the country as part of the nonprofit called Ryan’s Case for Smiles, founded in 2007 by a Philadelphia-area family that lost their son to cancer.

Recently, Inova’s child life specialist told Jordynn’s grandmother Sherri Weaver the Northern Virginia chapter had disbanded. Weaver seized the opportunity.

“We said, ‘Whatever you need, we’re here for you,’” she said.

About the same time, Rhonda Stretton heard the pillowcase pipeline had shut down. She’d sewn them for the Philadelphia chapter for years before moving to Haymarket.

Stretton and Weaver joined forces reviving the Northern Virginia chapter.

“I thought, ‘Well, that’s a shame that this whole project is not existing in the area anymore just because there is not a coordinator,’” Stretton said. “And I thought, same as Sherri, ‘I can do that.’”

The women delivered dozens of freshly sewn pillowcases to Inova’s pediatric ICU Friday. Nurses were thrilled to restock.

“We are so happy to have the pillowcases back,” said child life specialist Georgia Schindele.

The pillowcases pop with color and patterns. There are rainbows and robots and even the Washington Nationals.

Ryan’s Case for Smiles just reached the 3 million mark thanks to volunteers sewing in almost 100 chapters.

And Stretton is happy to make them along with other volunteers.

“I’m a sewer, so it’s nice to be able to take something I love to do and make something that’s gonna give back to the community,” she said.

Weaver hopes the pillowcases will have the same impact on other families that they did on hers.

“To bring you a sense of joy in a time of heartache,” she said.

For Jordynn’s mom, giving back with the pillowcases is a way to honor her daughter.

“It’s another way to help heal for me, to continue doing good for others,” Manning said.

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