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Double stuffed - Sierra Madre, Calif., residents Brittany Banis, 17, left, and Kara-Leigh Huse, 16, prepare to distribute a few of the 500 pillows they sewed for City of Hope breast cancer patients at the Rita Cooper Finkel and J. William Finkel Women’s Health Center.

Banis, a junior at Mayfield Senior School, and Huse, a junior at LaSalle High School — both in Pasadena — created the pillow project as part of their efforts to earn the Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting. Banis is involved in Mayfield’s breast cancer awareness club, while Huse has seen breast cancer touch her own family.

The teens began by interviewing City of Hope’s Cathy Cole, M.P.H., N.P., R.N.C., about breast cancer patients’ needs. Cole explained that a heart-shaped pillow could easily fit under the arm and provide support for women who have had a biopsy or more invasive breast surgery. The girls bought fabric for the pillows with a small grant from the Sierra Madre Rotary Club, and other scouts in their troop helped with sewing duties.