In 2017, Giada Demma lay in a hospital bed fighting brain cancer. A drab hospital gown nearly swallowed her tiny one-year-old body. Her cousin remembers thinking about the small child in a huge, ugly gown and wondering, “Why can’t she wear something nicer?”
An idea was born.
The Demma family hired someone to make a custom Disney princess gown for Giada, who is doing well now.
But today, Giuliana Demma, 13, and her 11-year-old sister Audrina create brightly colored, playfully patterned hospital gowns. The duo has sewn and donated more than 1,800 gowns featuring cats, koalas, unicorns, bumblebees, and more.
“I wanted to do something to help kids like [Giada] and give them hospital gowns . . . they can feel comfortable in while they’re going through a rough time,” Giuliana says.
Giuliana never forgot how lost her cousin looked in a dreary, ill-fitting gown. Several years later, she learned to sew and launched G’s Giving Gowns.
The sisters stitch in the basement of their New Jersey home, now nearly taken over by sewing. The first creations were gowns with flamingos and Paris-themed patterns for a child with cancer.
No child is ever charged for a G’s gown. Donations of money, time, and material help defray costs: a grant from Starbucks, volunteer fabric-cutters, and more. A hospital linen company cleans all the garments for free before they’re sent to hospitals.
Audrina’s specialty is small pillows. She includes boxes of markers so recipients can custom-color the cushions while recovering.
“I like seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces,” Audrina says.
Now the girls are branching out. They’ve recently begun sewing zippers into bright T-shirts. The openings make way for tubes and infusion ports. That way young patients might avoid unattractive gowns entirely.
Vito DiSimone had a heart valve ailment at nine months old. Hospital staff brought in a sealed package with a G’s gown sporting a pattern from the Cars movie.
He broke into a smile.
“You’re in a hospital praying that your child will make it through the surgery,” Vito’s mother Samantha says. “To see him in the gown with a big smile on his face is an amazing thing.”
Giuliana loves hearing from gown recipients. “I’m really happy I can help make a difference for them,” she says. “We want children to wear our special gowns and remember they are strong, brave, loved, and an inspiration.”
Each gown includes a card and this assurance: “I am praying for you.”
Why? God commands us to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15) Taking that approach into action illustrates faith, hope, and love.
