Florida woman crochets cute hats for kids fighting cancer

When a 12-year-old family friend was diagnosed with bone cancer, 24-year-old Samantha Mutschler of West Orange, Florida, wanted to help.

So she made the girl a fleece tie-knot blanket.

The blanket was a hit. Mutschler started making more, providing other young cancer patients at the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children with colourful wraps.

To help even more children, she took up crocheting and started to tackle smaller projects: hats.

According to PEOPLE, she’s since donated more than 160 hats — many of them featuring popular characters, including Disney princesses, and animals — to young cancer patients and their families through her own cancer support program, Unraveled by Samantha Dawn.

Mutschler adds custom details to make each hat perfect for its intended recipient, and often includes care packages with crocheted stuffed animals and dolls. A popular hat is the Rapunzel hat, complete with a long yarn braid.

It can take about a week for Mutschler to finish a hat, reported the West Orange Times & Observer, and costs her about $20 on each one.

She now hopes to turn her “passion project” into a nonprofit. Mutschler is raising funds through GoFundMe to do just that.

"It brings joy to them; it brings joy to me," Mutschler said. “I know I’m doing what God wants me to do. My dream is to one day see a team of ladies working for me in getting more hats out to these precious warriors.”