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What
started as a hobby has grown
into a labor of love for
78-year-old Faye Yaniro of
Greensburg, and an
expression of support for
Excela Health’s newly
renovated maternity center.
Following retirement from
St. Vincent College,
Latrobe, Yaniro found she
finally had the leisure time
to crochet, an activity she
enjoyed immensely. Then she
found a calling, when her
sister presented her with a
bulletin request from St.
Paul’s Roman Catholic
Church, Carbon, Hempfield
Township, seeking
individuals who would be
willing to make hats for
newborns delivered at the
former Mercy Jeannette
Hospital.
Yaniro admits, “The timing
of the request was perfect.
My husband had recently
passed away, I was retired
and looking for something to
keep me busy. I thought,
what better way than to
utilize a skill I already
enjoyed so much.”
Two years later, Yaniro is
still busy crocheting her
signature pastel pink, blue,
green, yellow and white
newborn hats. Now that Mercy
Jeannette Hospital has
become part of Excela
Health, Yaniro’s hats are
touching the lives of
newborns county-wide.
Each month, Yaniro delivers
her hand-crafted gifts to
Westmoreland Hospital’s
maternity center. The
keepsakes in turn are given
to infants requiring special
care and monitoring services
in the hospital’s Level II
Nursery prior to their
discharge.
“It is so wonderful that
someone would take the time
and effort to continue this
tradition,” said nurse
manager Sally Backus, RN.
“Homemade items created with
love and care are so rare
today, which makes
this gesture of kindness all
the more special.”
With obstetric and pediatric
services centralized at the
Greensburg campus, so many
more families throughout the
county can benefit from
Yaniro’s efforts.
Additionally, many of the
same staff members who are
familiar with Yaniro and
played a part in
distributing her hats at
Jeannette are a part of the
Maternal /Child staff at
Westmoreland.
For
Yaniro, location doesn’t
matter. “It’s rewarding to
see the horizons of this
project broaden. For me, I’m
just thrilled to play a
small role in such a joyous
time for so many new
families embarking on the
path of parenthood.”
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