Blankets for the Brave
Read Time: 3 minutes
Amy Higham was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014. Then, in 2017, it came back—this time as stage 4.
“No matter what happened, even to the very, very end, she was unbelievably brave,” her son Tommy says. “I’ve seen the best example of how to handle adversity. Watching her do that was impressive and speaks to who she was.”
Amy knew she wanted to receive treatment at Huntsman Cancer Institute, so she made the commute to Salt Lake City from Shelley, Idaho. Tommy traveled with her to appointments and even spent a few nights with her in the hospital.
Amy was a curious person and eager to learn about what new treatments or options were available. “She didn’t want to leave us,” her son Will says. “She was always learning about how to fight.”
Throughout her treatment, Amy had a blanket with her. When she passed away in 2020, her five children found one last surprise from their mom: a personalized blanket with a note for each of them, signed “Love, Lola”—her nickname. As they used their blankets, they pondered how they could continue their mother’s legacy.
“I was like, ‘You know what? This blanket is so nice. Everyone should have it,’” Tommy says. “And so the idea was born.” Together, Tommy and Will started Lola Blankets in honor of their mom. But, their efforts didn’t stop there. The impression Huntsman Cancer Institute had on their family inspired them to give back. On the company’s opening day, the very first Lola Blanket was given to a member of Amy’s care team.
At first, they sent a couple of blankets to Huntsman Cancer Institute occasionally. That gift soon evolved into the Lola Blankets team providing enough blankets each month for every new breast cancer patient.
On Giving Tuesday, December 3, 2024, Lola Blankets delivered blankets to every cancer patient admitted at Huntsman Cancer Institute that day—125 total—handing each one out personally. “It was a really special experience getting to see people,” Will says. “They were genuinely so grateful that someone was thinking of them, but also the product itself made a difference in their lives.”
Lola Blankets later flew all of its employees—including those from New York and California—to Salt Lake City for a tour of Huntsman Cancer Institute and the new Lola Blankets offices in Alpine, Utah.
“Huntsman Cancer Institute is super unique. They really invest in the experience that people have while they are there,” Will says. “We feel like us donating the blankets helps with that, too. It helps create an experience that’s surprising and makes them maybe a little bit happy.”
Not only does Lola Blankets donate blankets each month to Huntsman Cancer Institute, but 10% of all proceeds from their Rosewater Lola Blankets are to fund cutting-edge research and exemplary care at Huntsman Cancer Institute. As part of their commitment to pay it forward, the funds are split 50/50 in recognition of the importance of cancer research and the exceptional care Amy received.
In December 2024, Lola Blankets donated $120,000 to Huntsman Cancer Institute.
“My hope for the donation is that it will improve outcomes for people who are going through breast cancer, or improve their experience and make them more comfortable,” Tommy says. “We know exactly how that experience is, and we know how hard it is if it ends the way ours did. If we can make any sort of impact, it’s all worth it.”