Blanketing sick children with love

Sonya Padgett

Saturday, May 29, 1999 | 10:23 a.m.

When Patti Barita asks a 3-year-old boy, "Do you want a blanket?" no one bats an eye, even though the temperature outside is above 90 degrees.

That's because she's at Sunrise Children's Hospital, handing out blankets to patients on the oncology floor, where it's chilly if all you're wearing is an intravenous pump and a hospital gown.

Her love of children is apparent as she walks in and out of the cheerfully decorated hospital rooms, talking to the kids who are awake, or draping blankets over the ones who aren't.

Barita's motivation is simple.

"I want sick or traumatized children to remember that someone who cares is out there thinking of them," she said.

Barita, 36, is the founder and director of the local chapter of Project Linus, a nonprofit organization created in 1995 in Denver.

The original goal was to provide homemade security blankets to children being treated for cancer, but eventually expanded to include all children in need.

The name refers to "Peanuts" cartoon character Linus Van Pelt and his tendency to carry a trusty security blanket as a courage booster.

Barita's mission for the local chapter is to provide children with hope in the form of a blanket that acts as a common thread connecting a sick child to the community.

"It's easy for children to be brave in front of others when they're going through tough times. The security blankets help kids by offering comfort and support to them," she said.

Rhonda Feldman, director of public relations for the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation, is passionate about Project Linus.

"The great thing about Project Linus is it's a comforting gift that opens up a dialogue with the family," Feldman said.

The foundation works side-by-side with medical teams to provide social, emotional, educational and psychological support to families with children who are diagnosed with life-threatening or critical illnesses.

Feldman thinks Project Linus can provide the foundation with a valuable means to achieve its goals.

"We want blankets in our office to give to kids as they're being hospitalized. Anytime a child is hospitalized, the family is in a state of crisis," and could benefit from a visitor with a gift, Feldman said.

That opens the door for the foundation to begin addressing the needs of the family.

"We treat the family," Feldman said.

Project Linus appealed to Barita because it gave her a chance to reach out to children in need, using her crocheting and quilting skills.

Barita, a fourth grade teacher at Ruby Thomas Elementary School, has always devoted her free time to causes that provide a service to needy children.

She came across the Project Linus Web page, contacted the project founder and volunteered to make blankets.

"I've always felt the need to help others. I don't like to see kids sick or hurting," she said.

Barita has two children, a 3-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son. She knows firsthand what it's like to have a sick child.

At 10 months, her son contracted menengitis and wasn't expected to recover. "He was completely paralyzed on the left side. The doctors told me there was no chance he would survive," she recalled. But he did.

That experience left her sensitized to the plights of suffering children and their families. So when the founder of Project Linus asked Barita to create a Las Vegas chapter, she jumped at the chance.

Barita recruited a few women via the Internet to make blankets and in October, the local chapter was up and running. So far, they've donated 52 blankets.

But Barita isn't satisfied with that number because it's a small amount compared to the 90,000 blankets that have been donated nationally. She envisions donating a few hundred, eventually.

Barita wants to provide blankets to organizations such as Child Haven, the Ronald McDonald House and fire stations.

"I know so many kids out there who could use a blanket; so many diagnosed every day with something," Barita said.

A homemade blanket may not sound like much for a child with a life-threatening problem, but Feldman believes Project Linus can make a hospital stay bearable.

"Sometimes a child with a (long-term) illness is hospitalized six or seven times a year and their needs change as they progress," Feldman said. "But to have that excitement of a new visitor who brings you a gift is really wonderful."

Both Feldman and Barita hope to work together again but more volunteers are needed before that can happen.

"Trying to get more help is my biggest problem. I only have six women making blankets. I would like to get the word out to people and have as much help as possible," Barita said.

Until that time, Barita will continue to visit the pediatric oncology floor passing out the few blankets she does have. On this day, she took 10 and had one left over, which she sent to the neonatal unit.

"Somehow, I always have just enough (blankets). One time, I only had five but I came up here anyway, and they only had five patients," she said.

For more information, call 361-5751.