Crocheting for a cause

Zoya Siddiqui

每一針，她們都在用心地織。

Karis Wales, Isha and Diya Goel were born prematurely (過早地).The twins and Karis, who has a twin brother, are now 13.They were born and cared for at the same Arizona hospital, just days apart.After reuniting in the sixth grade, Karis, Isha, and Diya formed a close bond.A year later,they decided to create a club called Knots for NICU at school to help support families like theirs.

Premature births are not uncommon for twins.“Both of us, size and width, were about the weight of a loaf of bread,” Diya said.It's an “emotional roller coaster” for parents, she added, not knowing if their children will survive.Karis has also been told about her parents' fears when she and her brother were born.“It was especially difficult because I got out of the NICU before my twin brother did,” Karis explained.For her mother, being needed in two places at once—at home with Karis and at the hospital with her brother—was particularly challenging.

Learning how tiny they were at birth has helped the girls design clothes for preemies (早產兒).“One thing we took into account was how small the clothes are and how small we need to make them,” Isha said.Knots for NICU meets weekly at Basha High School's Accelerated Middle School in Chandler.They crochet, knit,and sew everything from headbands to blankets for babies in Banner Desert's NICU.

Once the school year ended, the founders gathered to donate 120 pieces of the clothing.The girls hope that their club's work will ease the struggles of families caring for premature babies.In the future,they hope to host knitting workshops and extend their initiative in order to help even more families.

Reading Check

Why did the girls create the club?

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