Power of Purple Hearts inspires poem tribute
The power of the Purple Hearts initiative has been felt intensely by John Gregory and his family since the passing of his partner Carol Angus in August. John’s son Jonathan has written a poem epitomising the importance of the simple crocheted hearts and what they mean to the bereaved.
The initiative involves placing a small crocheted heart in the hand of a person who has died or is nearing death, and presenting a matching heart to their loved one as a symbol of their enduring bond. The hearts have been warmly received, and many families say they have brought comfort and connection during some of their most difficult days.
John Gregory, partner of the late Carol Angus, who sadly passed away at the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar on August 20, has shared a poem written by his son Jonathan about the Purple Hearts project. Carol’s family were deeply moved by this simple yet meaningful gesture and wanted to express their sincere appreciation for the comfort it brought them.
Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, John explained that Carol suffered from acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) for four years. Over that time, John made 380 trips to hospitals, covering more than 100,000km. Carol was hospitalised 20 times, had 119 sessions of chemotherapy, and received 27 platelet donations and as many blood transfusions.
John’s son, Jonathan and daughter Jennifer visited him in the hospital the morning Carol passed away, just a month before her 73rd birthday. John had not left her bedside for three days. He praised the hospital staff who, he said, “could not do enough for us”.
When he went home that night, Jonathan could not sleep and penned the poem, inspired by the purple hearts he had seen at the hospital. He recited the poem at Carol’s cremation and, although it was dedicated to her, it is written in such a way that anyone who has lost a loved one can relate to it.
Jonathan has published two books of poems and he and his father are in the process of publishing a book of Carol’s poems, which will be on sale on Amazon. “I found over 500 poems she had written and we are going to publish 25 or 30 of them in a book,” John said. “She was a prolific poet, if somewhat embarrassed about it, and she would have loved to have lived to be a published poet,” he said.
One of Carol’s poems was about The Green Ensign flag that John found in 2010 in an antiques shop in Rathowen. It was described as a “major piece of maritime history”. The flag in question was flown on the high seas by Irish merchant ships from the 17th century up to partition in 1922. It is now on display in the National Museum at Collins Barracks in Dublin.
Carol also wrote a poem about St Mel’s Cathedral, Longford, burning to the ground on Christmas Day, 2009.
John is a native of Dublin, “born and bred”, and Carol was born in Durham, England, and later moved to York. The two moved to Ballinlee in Longford 22 years ago.
John’s children, Jonathan and Jennifer, live in Dublin with his five grandchildren, Lucy, Tadhg, Donncha, Katie and Odhran.
The Purple Heart initiative at Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar and neighbouring midland regional hospitals, uses hand-crocheted purple hearts to comfort families during end-of-life care.
Community groups, knitting circles, and libraries crochet pairs of small purple hearts. When a patient passes away or enters end-of-life care, one crocheted purple heart is placed with or given to the patient, and the matching heart is given to the patient’s family. The initiative helps families feel a tangible connection and keeps the memory of their loved one close.
The hospital staff are grateful to all those who have made crocheted hearts. More than 1,000 have been made so far, they need an ongoing supply to keep this initiative going.
An appeal has been made to anyone who likes to crochet to help provide this comfort to families.
If you need the crochet pattern, or if you or someone you know might be able to help, contact Emma O’Sullivan, Clinical Nurse Specialist - Bereavement, at Regional Hospital Mullingar: emma.osullivan9@hse.ie: 044 9340221
TWO LITTLE PURPLE HEARTS
There are two little purple hearts, one of them was with them when they left us, the other one is here with us.
And somehow that feels like enough to believe that life doesn’t stop just because a heart does.
They had one and we have one.
A piece of wool knitted together by somebody who understands that grief needs something it can hold.
So, we hold it. We hold them in it, and maybe that’s what grief is, not forgetting but carrying.
Some days it will feel heavier than others.
Some days we will reach for them without thinking and remember.
Some days a song, a scent, a photograph, a quiet room will bring them back for a moment and then take them away again.
And I don’t think we ever really stop grieving the people we love.
We just learn how to carry them without letting them carry us.
Because they wouldn’t want this little purple heart to become an anchor.
They would want it to be a thread.
Something that connects us to what was without stopping us from becoming what comes next.
So, we will laugh again. We will drink too much coffee and complain about the weather.
We will make plans and cancel some of them. We will fall in love with ordinary mornings.
We will watch the sun come through the window and remember that being alive is still a beautiful thing even when somebody we wanted beside us isn’t there anymore.
And maybe that is how we honour them.
Not by dying a little with them every day but by living enough for both of us.
Because grief can stay forever, but so can love.
And if these two little hearts are meant to keep us connected then let mine keep beating.
Let theirs remain with me, and let the distance between us be measured not in death but in all the life we still have left to live.
Written by Jonathan Gregory, August 21, 2026, in loving memory of Carol Angus.
And this is one of Carol's poems:
When I'm Gone
I lay here body at rest
Soul in heaven if I passed the test
Memories you have of me
I hope are happy now I'm free
Don't feel sad nor cry
Don't even wonder why
I lived my life, as I should
Loving you all only as I could
Save a smile in my memory
Whenever you spare a thought of me
Carol Angus