After being hit by a moving car and thrown from her bike while returning home from dinner with her husband, Martha Harris awoke in the emergency room to some harsh realities.  She was told in that moment she may lose her leg by amputation, and though her leg was later saved, Martha was only at the beginning of a long road to recovery.

I stumbled upon the story of Martha Harris in the December 7^th, 2009 issue of First For Women magazine.  This article moved me so much that I reached out to her asking if I too could interview her to write an inspirational article to be featured on my blog.  She graciously obliged me.

This story is inspirational because Martha, a young woman, found success and purpose crocheting hats after a tragic and random, near death accident left her wondering if she would walk again.

“Many bones were broken in my body, and I have had 4 separate surgeries to reconstruct my leg, arm and collar bone.”

But shockingly, not so much as a scratch or bruise on her head or back.  Her body required a lengthy healing time, which included lots of therapy and prayers.   However, she did bounce back to her pre-accident self…but with a new perspective on life.

“It was amazing to see all the mercy and love poured out to me by loved ones and strangers alike.  It put more of an urgency in my heart to give back to others that are less fortunate than me.”

Crocheting as a part of her therapy to soothe and help with hand dexterity, she began creating hats and scarves and before long, people were asking if they could buy them.

“Last Christmas Eve, I was able to go into the slums of Camden NJ to give out hats and winter clothing to the children that lived there.”

Giving away these adorable hats and scarves to needy children gave Martha a great sense of purpose and it became clear, she had found her calling.  Martha even started a crochet circle and charitable group called Crochet for Cause, creating hats for little girls in need living in Camden, New Jersey.

You can buy her lovely creations at Modern Virtues on Etsy.  10% of all proceeds are donated by Martha to Covenant Mercies, a non-profit organization helping impoverished people locally and globally.  So when you purchase a one-of-a-kind, crocheted hat or scarf you are also helping someone less fortunate and supporting a real stand up gal, whose real-life story should inspire and motivate all of us.

You can contact Martha Harris directly at mlouwright@gmail.com.

If you have a story that you think is inspiring, and want to tell, please contact me here.