Quilt Inspires Charitable Giving

Fairfield , CT — An unusual fundraiser has raised a total of over $5,500 for the Norma Pfriem Breast Care Center’s programs for women in need.  The donations, made in memory of Tina Burbank, who died from complications from metastatic breast cancer in July 2013, were inspired by a handmade quilt, created in her memory.  The quilt, which is not being sold as part of the fundraiser, was presented to Tina’s daughters Madeline and Katherine in a ceremony on June 14.

This is the second quilt that Noreen Graham, a member of the Northern Star Quilters Guild of Somers, New York, has created to raise funds for the Norma Pfriem Breast Care Center.  Graham, who lives in New Rochelle and has been quilting for twenty years, learned about the Center through its teen supporters, the girls who hold fashion shows to raise funds for the Center’s programs for women in need.

The quilt uses Tina Burbank’s garden as an inspiration and is emblematic of Burbank’s love, courage and determination.

“We hope Tina’s quilt will inspire others to lend their support to the Norma Pfriem Breast Care Center,” says Lynne Taikowski, a member of the Breast Care Center’s Advisory Board and President’s Council.  “Their generosity will become part of this handcrafted legacy for Tina’s daughters.”

The Norma Pfriem Breast Care Center provides over 1,000 women with financial assistance for breast care services each year, thanks to generous supporters.  

For more information about the fundraiser see https://www.crowdrise.com/InMemoryofTina/fundraiser/steffcarr.

Part of Bridgeport Hospital and the Yale New Haven Health System, the Norma F. Pfriem Breast Care Center has served more than 20,000 women and their families since it was established in 1999.  One of only 200 sites accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), the Center provides a wide range of diagnostic care and treatment at its Bridgeport Hospital and Fairfield locations, including medical oncology, surgical and chemotherapy services, plastic surgery, mammography and radiation therapy, and genetic risk assessment as well as opportunities to participate in clinical trials.  The Breast Care Center office at 111 Beach Road in Fairfield also provides comprehensive women’s wellness services, including nutrition counseling, massage and Reiki therapy, wig and prosthesis fitting, counseling, yoga, Pilates, naturopathic medicine, and other patient support activities.  The Center has a satellite office on Park Avenue in Trumbull.  The Center is a member of the prestigious National Consortium of Breast Care Centers.  For more information call 203.255.5300 or visit online.

Bridgeport Hospital, part of Yale New Haven Health, is a non-profit 501-bed acute care hospital with two campuses (plus 42 beds licensed to Yale New Haven Children's Hospital). Its Bridgeport and Milford Campuses serve patients from across the region. The hospital admits more than 23,000 patients and provides nearly 350,000 outpatient treatments annually. The Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital is the only burn center in the state and one of only 64 verified burn centers in the United States. Bridgeport Hospital is committed to providing safe, compassionate and cost efficient care to its patients and the community. www.bridgeporthospital.org