TWINSBURG, Ohio — Knitting isn’t just a passion for Jennifer Bystricky — it's her purpose.

What You Need To Know

  • Knitting for Cancer launched to bring comfort to those battling cancer 

  • The founder started the nonprofit in memory of her late mother who passed away from breast cancer

  • The nonprofit uses the softest yarn available

  • They make hats, blankets and cancer critters for cancer warriors of all ages  

In 2013, her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Chemotherapy left her feeling constantly cold. The hats her mom would wear to keep her head warm were often made from itchy materials and left scratches on her head. 

To help bring her mom some comfort, Bystricky taught herself how to knit and made her own hat using the softest yarn she could find.

"When I made her her hat, that is when it really made a huge difference in her life,” said Bystricky. “Yarn texture really makes a difference.”

After a courageous battle with cancer, Bystricky’s mother passed away in 2016.

“She was diagnosed on my birthday in 2013 and so that was Sept. 11, 2013, and she battled for three years to April 16, 2016. And that's when she lost her battle,” said Bystricky. “I really am so incredibly unbelieved that she battled for so long with a smile on her face.”

Bystricky now helps bring comfort to other cancer warriors in her mother’s memory. In March of 2019, she launched her nonprofit Knitting for Cancer. She teaches people in assisted living facilities, nursing homes and prisons how to knit and crochet. They make hats, lap blankets and cute "cancer critters" for people battling the disease.

“I kind of made this her legacy. I started this because of her, for her. And it not only healed me, but I hope it heals others who are dealing with this themselves,” said Bystricky. 

She’s attracted more than 200 volunteers in more than 11 states and four countries. 

Sharon Fishburn has been cancer-free for about a year and now volunteers with Knitting for Cancer through her senior living facility.

“I am a breast cancer survivor and I want to pay it forward, give back and make other people feel supported and comforted and loved,” said Fishburn.

In just under three years, Bystricky and her volunteers have made nearly 30,000 items.

“It's not just all about the hats and the blankets that they get and now the cancer critters, but it is about them knowing somebody is praying for them,” said Bystricky. “Somebody is giving them healing wishes and somebody is always right there to support them.”

Each week Bystricky makes a new delivery to hospitals like Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland.

She plans to bring comfort to all cancer warriors all over the world, using only the softest of yarn for the toughest of warriors.

For more information on Knitting for Cancer and how you can get involved, visit here.

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