School community off ers support to grieving mother
Quilt made in memory of Alex Hryzan
By Mary Shane Contributing Writer

(l to r) Quilt recipient Amber Hryzan, nurse Nancy Watts-Orfao, and quilters Julie Redfern and Evelyn Oliver display the quilt made in memory of Alex. PHOTO/MARY SHANE

Westborough - Quilts can keep people warm, celebrate a life or occasion, or showcase craftsmanship. The work of two employees of Gibbons Middle School does all three.

Nancy Watts-Orfao, school nurse at Gibbons Middle School, also works for the Kennedy Donavan Center Early Intervention and Early Intervention Partnership Program (EIPP) in Southbridge. As an early intervention nurse, Watts-Orfao met Amber Hryzan through EIPP when Hryzan's son, Alex, was born prematurely.

Alex weighed one pound, six ounces, and measured 13 inches at birth.

"He was my little peanut," Hryzan said.

Her son went home weighing five pounds after spending 192 days in Worcester's UMass Memorial Hospital and undergoing multiple lifethreatening surgeries. Once Alex arrived home, Watts- Orfao visited the Hryzans at least once a week until Alex passed away Sept. 25, at 18 months.

"A couple of weeks after he passed away, I was having a hard time staying out of his room," Hryzan said, "so I decided to donate his clothes to children who needed them."

Watts-Orfao volunteered to pick the clothes up but she didn't donate them; she had something else in mind.

Evelyn Oliver, the manager of Gibbons Middle School kitchen, and co-worker Julie Redfern heard Alex's story through Watts-Orfao.

"Nancy brought it to our attention that a client had lost her child," Oliver said, "and she was looking for someone to make a quilt out of the baby's clothes. Somebody in the [Gibbons] office said we sew; that's how we got involved."

Watts-Orfao delivered the clothes to Oliver and Redfern, who cut the clothes into six-inch squares. They took turns working on the quilt and after approximately four weeks, brought the finished product to Gibbons.

Four photos of Alex were on the front of the quilt, and footprints from a pair of his shoes were scattered on the back.

Watts-Orfao called Hryzan to tell her that the quilt was finished and Hryzan stopped by Gibbons to pick it up.

"Eve and Julie gave me the quilt. It's the best gift that anybody ever gave [me]," Hryzan said.

"Every time I saw Nancy, I would ask what the project was," Hryzan explained. "A few weeks before it was ready, Nancy told me a couple of the ladies in the cafeteria were making a quilt and some of [Alex's] clothes would be in it. She didn't tell me that his blanket would be in it, too."

"It was nothing she expected," Watts-Orfao said. "When she saw it, she was blown away. It was the first time she could look at something of Alex's [since his death] and feel good things. It's what I wanted to happen."

"I'm amazed at how many people he touched in 18 months," Hryzan said. "People all over the United States know his story and were devastated when he passed away. He went through all [his surgeries] a happy baby. He was a really good soul. I don't feel like I just lost my son; he was my best friend. It's nice to know people care. It's hard to find people who put their own problems aside to help a perfect stranger."