Nearly 500 women undergoing breast cancer treatment across Iowa have received a soft cashmere wrap meant to bring warmth during one of the hardest stretches of their lives, each one sent by a woman honoring the sister she lost to the disease. JoAnn Manning founded the nonprofit MadeKindly in 2022 in memory of her sister, Mary Kay Zumbach-Gillotti, who died from breast cancer in 2019, as reported by KCCI.
Manning has been gifting cashmere wraps to as many women as she can reach who are going through breast cancer treatment across the state, according to KCCI. She has distributed the gifts to metro hospitals including John Stoddard Cancer Center, MercyOne Richard Deming Cancer Center and Broadlawns Hematology and Oncology Center, with medical staff at each location handing the wraps to women just beginning treatment.
A Gift Born From Distance and Loss
Manning has said she started sending cashmere gifts to her sister because the two lived far apart when Zumbach-Gillotti was diagnosed, and she wanted her to feel the warmth and comfort of something soft during treatment, as noted by KCCI. She has said the wraps give patients a boost of joy along with physical warmth and comfort. Manning has also said her sister wished to serve underserved people and those who otherwise would never experience a luxury item like cashmere.
At John Stoddard Cancer Center, program coordinator Rachel Fyfe has said the gift resonates with patients navigating a frightening diagnosis. Fyfe has said a patient felt special and appreciated the kindness behind receiving a cashmere wrap, according to the station's report.
Expanding Into Rural Iowa
MadeKindly has expanded beyond its original metro hospital partners into more rural areas, adding Greater Regional Health in Creston and MercyOne Newton Medical Center to its list of distribution sites. Manning has credited donors with making that expansion into rural Iowa possible. Per the nonprofit's vendor profile on marketspread.com, MadeKindly hopes to eventually add Mercy Hospital and cancer centers throughout the entire state.
The organization says every dollar it receives goes directly toward the gifts. A $75 donation funds a single cashmere wrap for a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient, per MadeKindly's website, which describes the wrap as a one-size-fits-all piece designed to be worn during treatments to keep patients warm and comfortable. The organization's giving page states it ensures 100 percent of donations fund gifts for patients.
Reach Extends Beyond Iowa
While MadeKindly's roots and most of its distribution are in Iowa, the nonprofit says it can send a cashmere wrap anywhere in the country to a woman undergoing treatment, meaning the gift Manning built to honor her sister can reach patients well outside the state's hospital network, per a report from KCCI. MadeKindly describes itself as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing cashmere shawls to cancer patients, according to its vendor listing.
Comfort-focused nonprofits for cancer patients exist elsewhere too. In Fort Wayne, Indiana, a nonprofit called A Chosen Warrior provides comfort kits to women undergoing treatment for gynecological cancers, carrying on the legacy of a woman who died from ovarian cancer, as reported by the Journal Gazette. Other groups take similar approaches nationally; Chemocessories offers gift sets featuring jewelry, a scarf and a turban, while Hope Scarves shares scarves through personal requests, gift requests and partnership programs.
For Manning, the mission remains tied to her sister's memory and the simple idea that comfort matters during treatment. Each wrap sent out under the MadeKindly name carries forward what she has described as her sister's wish to reach people who might never otherwise experience that small luxury.
