LA PETITE BOUTIQUE for Elliot's Fund @ the Dana Farber Cancer Institute for the research of Infant Leukemia.
Who are the Nightingales? Knitters from Danvers who meet weekly, and a wide group of women from surrounding towns in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Arizona and North Carolina.
Background: The Nightingale Knitters, a group formed in the early 2000's to knit for FUN....then, along came Elliot Carlin Handin, Katy Carlin's first grandchild, in August 2005. The first few months Elliot was a pretty fussy little baby, but his family kept thinking "he'll turn the corner when he gets to be 3-4 months...babies tend to do that!" In November, just as he was turning 3 months, Elliot was diagnosed with Infant ALL (infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia), a rare and deadly form of cancer in infants. Elliot and his parents (Stephanie Carlin and her husband David Handin) created Elliot's Fund at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute to promote research and the treatment of Infant ALL. It's a long story...Elliot survived months of harrowing chemo treatments, remission, relapse, full body radiation, a bone marrow transplant, and a year of isolation! Miraculously, Elliot survived and turned 6 years old this past August. Elliot lives with global development delays that remind his family daily what his tiny body underwent close to six years ago. His family and friends are determined to help other families struck with this devastating disease.
SO....every year, the Nightingales hold a benefit, La Petite Boutique, and sell all their donated knitted and crocheted items to benefit Elliot's Fund. Along with beautiful hand crafted items, there will be a Petite Bakerie, wildlife photography, and raffle items to include a golf package, gift certificates to local restaurants, and much more!
Katy Carlin (Elliot's Nana)
