Lincoln woman sews to honor her grandson’s organ donor

You can almost always find Rita Weeks working at her sewing machine.

For over 15 years she’s sewn thousands of outfits for dolls, but it all started when her grandson Griffin was just a baby.

“He had glycogen storage disease number 4, which is an extremely rare form of muscular dystrophy,” Rita Weeks said. 

The disease is normally fatal by the age of two, but doctors decided to try a liver transplant.

At just 15 months old her grandson received a liver from a little girl named Cassidy.

Two years after the successful transplant the organ donors parents reached out to meet the family who had received their daughter’s liver.

They met briefly, but it’s the word the young girls parents spoke that stuck with Weeks.

“As Emily [Week’s daughter] was leaving she said to the parents is there anything we can do to help you? You’ve given our son the opportunity of life. And the fathers response was always remember our daughter.”

Those inspired Weeks to start sewing doll clothes to give to little girls in Cassidy’s honor.

16 years later Weeks has sewn thousands of outfits and given away over two thousand dolls.

But it’s not the dolls or the clothes that stick with many young girls and their parents who received them.

“There is a note in every box of doll clothes that says all the doll clothing I sew is given in memory of Cassidy. Our grandson received her liver in 1999. Cassidy’s parents ask only that we remember their daughter. Enjoy your child’s laughter.”

Spreading joy, but most importantly sharing the importance of organ donation is the motivation that keeps Weeks sewing.

Her grandson Griffin is now a 20-year-old college student, that’s something that wouldn’t have been possible without help from a little girl named Cassidy.

So week after week, year after year, Weeks sews to make sure Cassidy’s life is never forgotten.