Crocheting Comfort for Others
Sep 15, 2026
Read Time: 3 Minutes
Takeaways: Kathryn was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.She crochets winter hats and brings them to each appointment to donate to Huntsman Cancer Institute. Impact: Kathryn has donated hundreds of hats, providing comfort and warmth to other people facing cancer.
When Kathryn Galloway arrives for her appointments at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U), she rarely arrives empty-handed. In her arms is a large bag filled with colorful winter hats, each one crocheted by hand for fellow patients facing cancer.The 79-year-old spends hours each day crocheting, turning a pastime into a way to bring comfort to others.
Finding a New Way to Serve
"Service has always been really important to me," Kathryn says.
Kathryn spent decades as a social worker with kids and adolescents, including time at University of Utah Hospital and Primary Children's Hospital.
“I loved helping kids feel seen and feel comfortable with their care,” she says.Kathryn’s career gave her opportunities to help people every day. But after retirement, she found herself searching for new ways to serve others while managing her own health challenges. A polio survivor, Kathryn developed scoliosis as a result of the disease and has spent years managing chronic back pain. In recent years, the pain has become so constant that when she fell out of bed and fractured her back, she didn’t realize it was broken right away because it felt no different from the pain she lived with every day. The pain limited many activities, but it didn’t diminish her desire to help others.That’s when she discovered a love for crocheting.“Sitting on my butt and crocheting hats is not too painful,” she says with a laugh. "I think that crocheting helps because it distracts me."It didn’t take long for her to become skilled enough to finish making several hats in a single sitting. She donated them wherever there was a need, including schools and homeless shelters.
“I am inspired by Kathryn’s generosity, Even while living with lymphoma and managing her own health challenges, she continues to focus on helping others. I know that each hat she makes is going to someone who may need a little extra encouragement or comfort.”
In 2024, Kathryn found herself facing yet another health challenge. After a routine blood test, she learned that she had lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that develops in the lymphatic system. Immediately, she knew she wanted to go to Huntsman Cancer Institute for a second opinion. There, additional testing led to a more specific diagnosis: marginal zone lymphoma, a slow-growing type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Given the slow-growing nature of her cancer, her doctor, Harsh Shah, DO, hematologist at Huntsman Cancer Institute and associate professor of internal medicine at the U, recommended active surveillance with regular follow-up visits rather than immediate treatment.For Kathryn, the specialized expertise she found at Huntsman Cancer Institute confirmed she made the right decision to seek a second opinion. “It was worth it,” she says. “I’m so grateful for Dr. Shah and Huntsman Cancer Institute.”
Purpose in Every Stitch
Kathryn Galloway and her husband
During her appointments at Huntsman Cancer Institute, she couldn’t help but notice the people around her. Knowing many were facing challenges of their own, she wanted to help in the best way she knew how. When she returned home and picked up her crochet hook, she began making hats with those patients in mind.Now, every time she comes in for a follow-up appointment, she brings a new batch of handmade hats to donate to Huntsman Cancer Institute.“I am inspired by Kathryn’s generosity,” Dr. Shah says. “Even while living with lymphoma and managing her own health challenges, she continues to focus on helping others. I know that each hat she makes is going to someone who may need a little extra encouragement or comfort.”In just two years, Kathryn has donated hundreds of hats for people facing cancer.“I just hope that they feel that somebody cares about them. I hope they feel that they're loved,” she says.She continues to crochet multiple hats each day, each stitch made with her fellow patients in mind as she fills another bag for her next appointment.“It's nice to be able to have a purpose and do something that helps somebody else.”
Donor support and federal funding enable breakthroughs.
Learn Why Research Matters
Lymphoma
Blood Cancer
Giving
Volunteer
Patient Stories
