{"id":86366,"date":"2025-10-23T15:56:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T21:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=86366"},"modified":"2026-04-02T15:15:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T21:15:24","slug":"knitted-knockers-provide-soft-free-alternative-to-breast-prosthetics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/knitted-knockers-provide-soft-free-alternative-to-breast-prosthetics\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Knitted Knockers’ provide a soft, free alternative to heavy, medical breast prosthetics"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Riley
Riley Mulligan starts a knitted prosthesis as she participates in her tenth knit-a-thon. Riley recently marked the two-year anniversary of her first breast cancer surgery. A good friend made knitted knockers for Riley, which she used for a year before having reconstructive surgery. She described the pair as lightweight and soft, not heavy and hot like prostheses. “It gave me a sense of my femininity back when I was going through my journey,” she said. Riley is a palliative care nurse navigator at UCHealth Harmony Cancer Center. Photo by Sonya Doctorian, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Linda Aiken was supporting her husband while he was hospitalized at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital<\/a> when her phone rang. The call wasn’t about her husband’s medical care. Instead, Aiken’s doctor informed her that a biopsy showed she had breast cancer at age 62.<\/p>\n

When she started her treatments, Aiken often brought knitting projects to work on. Knitting helped her get through the toughest days. So did kind staff members. Those two things helped her feel less alone during an otherwise dark period.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so pleased with the doctors and medical staff. They knew my situation, they knew my husband had just passed away,\u201d Aiken said, tearing up.<\/p>\n

What are ‘K<\/strong>nitted Knockers’?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Aiken returned recently to the very building where she received her breast cancer treatments 15 years ago. She was one of about 30 volunteers who attended a \u201cKnitted Knockers<\/a>\u201d knit-a-thon on Oct. 11 at The Wellness Place<\/a> at the UCHealth Cancer Center – Harmony Campus<\/a> in Fort Collins.<\/p>\n

\"Carol
Carol Rieser, left, and Linda Aiken became friends at a knitting retreat five years ago. As breast cancer survivors, they’ve used their skills several times to create soft prostheses for other women at Knitted Knockers knit-a-thons. After overcoming aggressive breast cancer, Linda is happy to give back at the UCHealth Cancer Center – Harmony Campus, where she was treated 15 years ago. Photo by Sonya Doctorian, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While it wasn\u2019t easy to return to a place where she had to go through cancer treatments, it was worth it to Aiken.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey treated me like a princess. I had so much support just getting through life then. Maybe this is me giving back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Knitted Knockers are special breast prostheses, made by volunteers like Aiken, for women who have had breast cancer and undergone mastectomy or lumpectomy. Where medical grade breast prostheses can be hot, heavy, and sticky, Knitted Knockers are soft, light, and comfortable. They take the shape and feel of a real breast and can be worn with a regular bra and even while swimming. Knockers also come in a variety of different sizes and skin tones, and breast cancer patients receive them for free.<\/p>\n

\"A
A finished pair of machine-washable knitted knockers made of soft yarn and batting. Photo by Sonya Doctorian, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Knitting comfort, one stitch at a time<\/strong><\/h2>\n

At the knit-a-thon, Aiken sat next to Carol Rieser. Rieser is a breast cancer survivor, too. The two women met years ago at a knitting retreat in Estes Park and often run into each other at local yarn shops. Cancer, they agree, isn\u2019t picky and will come at inopportune times.<\/p>\n

They talked and laughed together as their knitting needles clacked together. Both familiar with the pattern, they wasted no time shaping the threads of yarn into pairs of knockers.<\/p>\n

Like Aiken, Rieser was diagnosed after a routine mammogram in 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou go in expecting it to be normal,\u201d Rieser said.<\/p>\n

Rieser, then 63, knew something was wrong when her care providers asked her to sit in the waiting room after her mammogram because they might need to run more tests.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in total shock,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Rieser didn\u2019t have a family history of breast cancer, but she would soon learn she had triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive type of invasive cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.<\/a> It tends to grow and spread faster and have fewer treatment options. Rieser said she was lucky she didn\u2019t have to undergo a mastectomy. Instead, doctors were able to treat her with a lumpectomy and chemotherapy.<\/p>\n

Giving back after breast cancer<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When Rieser heard about the knit-a-thon event, she knew she had to go.<\/p>\n

\"Knitting
Knitting coach Jenny McConnell, right, demonstrates a knitting style to Knit-a-thon participant Lynne Felicelli. As a member of Colorado Knitted Knockers, Jenny has knitted several hundred knockers over the past five years, she said. Photo by Sonya Doctorian, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a grateful survivor,\u201d she said. \u201cIt feels good to be able to help other people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rieser and Aiken both have made knitted knockers before. But for some knit-a-thoners, the recent event was their first time.<\/p>\n

\"Katya
Katya Daragan uses her grandmother’s knitting needles for her first knit-a-thon, held Saturday, Oct. 11, at the UCHealth Cancer Center in Fort Collins. Her grandmother was a two-time breast cancer survivor. Photo by Sonya Doctorian, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dianne Norden, of Wellington, loves knitting. It\u2019s almost like praying a rosary, she said. You get to see the progress, almost like a prayer.<\/p>\n

Norden said she\u2019s known about the Knitted Knockers non-profit for a while. She\u2019d planned to make some knockers and donate them. She would gather her yarn and pull out the pattern, but she couldn\u2019t seem to get started.<\/p>\n

Then she got breast cancer.<\/p>\n

Norden is enrolled in a study<\/a> and is receiving hormone therapy. She feels hopeful about her prognosis \u2014 and motivated to give back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw a Facebook group where people who received Knitted Knockers gushed about how great they are and how grateful they are,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to be part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

A community of support<\/strong><\/h2>\n

At the knit-a-thon, Norden decided to sit down next to someone who looked like they had some experience knitting knockers. That\u2019s how she met Gloria Johnston, of Loveland.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve knitted probably about 100 pairs. I really went crazy doing it at first,\u201d Johnston said with a laugh.

\n

Requesting Knitted Knockers:<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Colorado Knitted Knockers, a local group affiliated with the international nonprofit, provides breast cancer survivors with soft, knitted alternatives to breast prosthetics \u2014 free of charge.<\/p>\n

With support from UCHealth Northern Colorado Foundation<\/a> and community partners, Colorado Knitted Knockers has packaged and delivered about 350 pairs annually for over a decade.<\/p>\n

Knitted Knockers are available at cancer centers across Colorado. People can also request them through www.knittedknockers.org<\/a>, where local groups help fulfill orders.<\/div>\n

Johnston hasn\u2019t had breast cancer herself, but she said she can empathize with those who have.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can help in some way, that\u2019s a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Norden and Johnston worked side-by-side, troubleshooting as the morning went on.<\/p>\n

Sue Paquette, of Fort Collins, started making Knitted Knockers when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021. She was shocked, she said, because she thought she did all the right things to stay healthy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do the best you can, but you never know,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s both freeing and scary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paquette made several colorful knockers at the knit-a-thon in shades of green one might expect to find on the nearby Colorado State University<\/a> campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother was very crafty. She made a lot of quilts,\u201d Paquette said. \u201cWhen she got older, we did crafty things together. I bought a lot of this yarn for those projects and had a lot left. These are memories of mom.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Linda Aiken was supporting her husband while he was hospitalized at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital when her phone rang. The call wasn’t about her husband’s medical care. Instead, Aiken’s doctor informed her that a biopsy showed she had breast cancer at age 62. When she started her treatments, Aiken often brought knitting projects to work […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2402,"featured_media":86368,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[655,6835,4800,4801,28,3658,24],"class_list":["post-86366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","category-innovative-care","tag-breast-cancer","tag-breast-cancer-treatment","tag-breast-health-services","tag-breast-imaging-and-tests","tag-cancer-care-oncology","tag-cancer-support-and-nurse-navigators","tag-northern-colorado"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nKnitted Knockers provide a soft, free alternative to breast prosthetics - 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She recently marked two years after her first breast cancer surgery. A good friend made Knitted Knockers for her, which she used for a year before reconstructive surgery. She described the pair as lightweight and soft, not heavy and hot like a prosthesis. \"It gave me a sense of my femininity back when I was going through my journey,\" she said. Riley is a palliative care nurse navigator at UCHealth Harmony Cancer Center. 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With bylines in Medscape, The NoCo Optimist, Greeley Tribune, Fort Collins Coloradoan, The Colorado Sun, NOCO Style Magazine and more, Kelly has nearly a decade of experience covering all things Northern Colorado. She especially enjoys writing about science, health and people. 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