By MIKE FRASSINELLI of The Morning Call

    A quilt has long been seen as a source of child-hood warmth and comfort. Cartoonist Charles Schulz speaks for many youngsters every time his Linus totes his well-worn security blanket.

    The quilt that adorned the wall of a transplant support group meeting room in Pocono Medical Center Tuesday night was a source of adult awe and inspiration.

    The names on the The National Donor Family Quilt weren't familiar to members of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Transplant Support Group. But the stories behind the names were.

    The handmade quilt - composed of patches dedicated to the memory of organ donors - moved support group members.

    Many of the 8-inch patches relate stories about the donors. One, from a donor who died at 18, included a picture he drew for his mother as a 7-year-old. "I love you this much," read the picture, which had a boy with outstretched arms. Another was an image of an infant who died before reaching 6 months. It was adorned by angels. "To see all of these people on display some of them so young - it's amazing," said 48-year-old Smithfield Township resident Julie Laubach. Who received a liver transplant 18 months ago. "It's a miracle that people can have a second chance at life because of other peoples' giving." "To me, it's an acknowledgment of their love," said East Bangor resident Joan Predmore. "It means a lot," added Doug Predmore, 61.

    The quilt, referred to as the "patchwork of love," is never finished. One seam is perpetually left open for new families. Doug Predmore waited just 20 days to get a heart, and he probably wouldn't have been able to wait much longer. Just 5 percent of his heart was in use before the transplant, his wife said. He gave up his plumbing work and has to take 25 prescription pills a day. Still, Doug Predmore said. "I'm glad I got a second chance." Support group president and CEO Howard Kindred Sr. requested the quilt, containing names from people from such distant states as Wisconsin, Arkansas and Kansas, as a way to raise awareness for organ donation. The 3-year-old support group has 25 active members.

    Kindred was on a waiting list for nearly two years before getting a liver in 1995. He said an all-too-common occurrence is people with all of their organs being buried in the same cemetery as people who died while waiting for new organs. 'It doesn't really have to be." said Kindred, 48, of Middle Smithfield Township. Standing by the 6-by-8-foot quilt with 69 names, a portion of the more than 500 squares stitched nationwide, Kindred pointed out that 11 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant. The number would be higher were it not for the people memorialized by the quilt. "We are all so glad we received the gift of life," Kindred said. "If it wasn't for these donor families, we wouldn't be here today."

This story appeared on page B3, Wednesday, May 13, 1998 in The Morning Call.