Among those who presented a patch and provided a heartfelt explanation of it were:

• A mother whose 12 year old was hit by a car but whose organ donations “saved or improved the lives of six other people.” The patch included a picture of the daughter wearing her favorite poodle skirt, the Girl Scout pledge – “which she lived by” – and fabric with a leopard print cut into the shape of a heart, since she was such an immense animal lover.
• A mother who was the recipient of her own son’s tissues: “I have his bones in my back. A year ago I couldn’t walk and now I can walk because of my son.”
• A mother who included a piece of her son’s clothing in her eight inch by eight each square patch.
• An aunt whose niece died while sledding with her church school group. She read a portion of a poem she wove into her patch, and the crowd was spellbound.
• A mother who explained that though she used to be annoyed that her teenaged son always seemed to have a cell phone stuck to his ear (usually talking to his girlfriend), a picture of him walking and talking was now one of her favorite images – and was thus included in the patch she dedicated to the quilt.
• And two daughters (aged 11 and 14) whose father – a police officer – “died as a public servant in the line of duty, and also served at his death by giving the Gift of Life.” They made the patch with the assistance of their mother and grandmother and included in it a picture of their dad on his Harley and another while horseback riding. They also created small facsimiles of teddy bears “that provided comfort in times of need for holding onto something.” Their mother thanked the audience for its patience while listening to the younger daughter make the presentation “and for allowing us to continue to be [their father’s] daughter and [my husband’s] wife.”

It is said that when a loved one unexpectedly leaves one’s home, a butterfly makes a visit to soothe the loss and to comfort those who remain.