Deed of the Day!

Ed Moseley, an 86 year old resident of Dogwood Forest Assisted Living in Acworth, Georgia, taught himself to knit so he could make warm hats to donate to premature  babies this holiday season. More than 300 babies in the NICU at Northside Hospital in Atlanta have received a hat from Moseley to keep them warm and cozy through the holidays.  

This all began with a community wide challenge at the Dogwood Forest Assisted Living. “Our corporate office gave us a challenge to see how many knit baby camps each community could make,” JoAn Hobbs, the facility’s executive director, explained. “The goal was 200 caps for the entire eight communities, but it seems that Dogwood Forest was the only one to really participate.”

 

Moseley himself had personally knitted 55 colorful baby hats in response to this challenge.

“I prevailed on my daughter to get a kit, and it comes with the right size loom and the right tools to help you knit one,” Moseley told ABC News. “I just followed the instructions. It was easy. Somehow I had never knitted, and I always associated knitting with a bunch of needles but this looked pretty doable for me. I went through two or three before I came out with a good finished product.”

 

As a recently retired engineer, he excitedly took on the challenge and even held classes for his fellow residents to get them inspired, as well. “I must be a lousy instructor because I didn’t get many takers,” he laughed during his interview with ABC. With the help of one of his caretakers, other staff, friends and family, Moseley managed to inspire the making of more than 300 hand-knitted caps to present to the NICU. The parents of the premature babies couldn’t have been more appreciative toward Moseley and his donation.  Doug Bunt, new father to a son named Mathew said, “It means a lot to us because this is our second stint in the NICU. We have a 5-year-old who spent 54 days up there. To know there are other people who are thinking about the well-being of these babies, our babies, it’s really nice to know. The fact this man is taking time out of his day to help the kids really means a lot to us.”

 

The staff at Northside Hospital, who care for about 2,000 premature infants each year, have also expressed their gratitude for Mosley's gift to the babies. “It’s great to receive these wonderful gifts,” Linda Kelly, clinical manager of the special care nursery, said.

“To have a gift left at the bedside, or a nurse put the hat on the little baby’s head, makes it all seem less like a hospital. It’s important for families to see their baby as a baby and not as a patient. This will help to get the families to that spot.”

 

Moseley says he was glad to have found a new hobby to keep him busy while watching TV and will continue his new found talent of knitting.

“When someone appreciates something you do, that makes you feel good, naturally,” he said. “I got a lot of enjoyment doing this and now I’ve graduated to large caps. I’m doing caps for all my grandkids.”