December 7, 2010
Quilt marks persistence
Veteran nurse brings art to CVPH dialysis patientsJEFF MEYERS Press-Republican Plattsburgh Press Republican Tue Dec 07, 2010, 02:26 AM EST
PLATTSBURGH — Pat Montroy's contribution to health care might be called immeasurable.
But a concrete example of the long-time registered nurse's connection with her patients now hangs on a wall at H. K. Freedman Renal Center.
Over the past several months, Montroy worked with patients to create a patchwork quilt to acknowledge their efforts in continuing their dialysis treatments.
"I thought about doing this for a long time," she said. "I wanted to find a way to involve the patients, to give them something to do while they're here other than watching TV or working on word puzzles."
100 DRAWINGS
First, Montroy collected drawings to place on 5½ inch paper squares. She then asked patients to color the drawings, which included a variety of animals, plants and other objects, such as sailboats.
"We made over 200 different drawings, so the patients had their choice of what they wanted to work on," she said. "We started making the drawings in January, and I'd come in on my day off to get the patients to color them."
Even those with vision difficulties and those who could not steady the crayons enough to do the work themselves participated, telling others what colors to use for their chosen squares.
Montroy used special crayons, so she could transfer the drawings from the paper squares to white fabric squares she would use for the quilt. The full quilt includes 100 drawings — the patient-colored squares alternate with others snipped from quilting fabric of various patterns.
"My joy comes from making the quilt, putting it together and waiting to see the patients faces when they see it," she said. "I will enjoy seeing it hanging there."
The quilt, which measures 73 by 74 inches, hangs in the center's main hallway leading to the treatment area. It's displayed behind Plexiglas and outlined by a wooden frame designed by Montroy's son, John.
MEMORY QUILT, TOO
Montroy did not have a lot of experience quilting but decided to move forward with the project as best she could.
"I remember watching my grandmother quilt for years and years, but I never learned how to quilt," she said. "She hand quilted. This was all machine done."
The display also functions as a memory quilt, as several of the artists who participated have since passed away.
Montroy, 74, works per diem for CVPH Medical Center. She retired several years ago from full-time employment while living in North Carolina but decided to return to her passion for helping others when she moved back home to Plattsburgh.
"I've never stopped working," she said. "I've been a nurse for 51 years. I love my patients, love seeing them get better, love seeing smiles on their faces.
"You learn a lot from your patients," she added. "Every one of them is so different."
Montroy was born and raised in Plattsburgh but moved south with her husband, Jack, when he wanted to live in a warmer climate. When Jack passed away a few years ago, she decided that Plattsburgh was where she needed to be.
"Home was calling me," she said. "I love the North Country, the snow."
As a veteran nurse, she still loves each day on the job.
"The younger girls keep me young," she said of her coworkers. "They help keep me up-to-date on what I need to know."
E-mail Jeff Meyers at: jmeyers@pressrepublican.com
http://pressrepublican.com/0800_special_sections/x2035757253/Quilt-marks-persistencePHOTO: Pat Montroy stands with the quilt she and patients at H. K. Freedman Renal Center made. It hangs there for all to enjoy.
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