Feb 1, 2017 3 min read

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Jessica Talkington of Lincoln Place only recently learned how to knit, but she is already making a big difference in the lives of the tiniest of patients born at Washington Health System.

Talkington participates in a program called “Little Hats, Big Hearts,” a collaborative effort of the American Heart Association and The Children’s Heart Foundation. The project is an initiative that raises awareness, provides resources and inspires moms to take their family’s heart health to heart, according to Karen Colbert, senior director of communications and marketing for the American Heart Association’s Greater Pittsburgh Region.

“I only started self-teaching myself how to crochet in October 2016,” Talkington says. “With Christmas around the corner, I wanted to donate my work. A friend of mine showed me the link for the Little Hats, Big Hearts project on The Children’s Heart Foundation Facebook page, and I thought it was a great idea and a great opportunity for me to donate my work.”

Talkington adds that she has no personal connection to heart disease, but just wanted to do a good deed, especially around Christmas. She donated a total of four red hats that will go to the babies born at Washington Health System.

“I wouldn’t mind donating around every Christmas, from here on out, just in time for February, which is American Heart Month,” she says. “It’s for a good cause, and I hope that my hats empower women, as well as their children, to live heart healthy lives.”

The American Heart Association’s Little Hats, Big Hearts program began in 2014 in Chicago and has since expanded to more than 40 states. The volunteer knitters reside in places across the country, and the Pittsburgh office receives notification from the AHA’s national office in Dallas about who is participating locally.

“This is Pittsburgh’s second year participating in the program,” Colbert says. “Last year, we had more than 600 hats donated to our region, and we expect even more this year. The hats go to hospitals, like Washington Health System, that request them. For example, some places may have several volunteer knitters and fewer newborns, while other cities may have fewer volunteer knitters than newborns. It’s a collaborative effort.”

The main purpose of the project, according to Colbert, is to raise awareness of congenital heart defects and heart health awareness. “About 36,000 children are born with a heart defect each year in the United States. Most of these children can be helped by surgery, even if the defect is severe,” she says.

And, though February is currently the only month when the hats are donated, the response has been very favorable thus far.

“Parents love being a part of the program,” says Leslie Gostic, MSN, RNC-MNN, CBC, Unit Manger 5E/OB and Women’s Health, Washington Health System. “Receiving the beautiful hats and having their baby share in the promotion of this cause on the website is exciting.”

Gostic notes that last year, every baby received a hat, a total of between 80 and 100. “The staff love that we are able to help bring awareness to the AHA’s cause and to provide dialogue for eduction for heart health across the generations.”

Anyone can participate in the Little Hats, Big Hearts Program, and if someone doesn’t know how to knit or crochet, they can donate yarn.

For more information about the program or how to participate, visit www.heart.org.