Hats off to Luke as he knits 60 warm woollies for families in Ukraine

Luke Haigh has now managed to make dozens of warm hats for the people in Ukraine, all while only having limited use of his arms.

Luke was diagnosed with leukaemia the week before his 16th birthday, which was followed by a year of treatment.

But his situation worsened and he fell into a coma for four months.

On waking up, he was suffering from locked-in syndrome - a rare neurological condition where sufferers are still conscious but are unable to speak or move.

“I could only blink at first,” said Luke, now 34.

“It was just strange. Your brain says one thing, but your body couldn’t do what your brain wants.”

After years of treatment and physiotherapy, Luke is now able to speak and use his arms but still requires 24/7 care.

It was recently, when he learned of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that Luke felt he had to do something.

One of the skills he learned during his treatment was hat-making, so he decided to use his new skill to help those who needed it most.

“I am up to about 60 hats,” he said. “I do about one a day because I do get tired.

"I first started making them, then I saw the war in Ukraine was happening, so I thought the people there would appreciate them.

“There are different coloured ones for men and ladies, and some smaller ones for kids.

“I feel my story needs to be heard so people feel like maybe they should do their bit for the people of Ukraine."

So will he continue with his hat-making?

“Maybe one every two days from now on,” he said.

“Buying wool all the time works out as expensive!”

Luke has yet to find someone to help him get the hats out to Ukraine, and says he needs help getting them over there.

If you are an individual or organisation willing to help Luke deliver the hats to people in Ukraine, then please email [email protected]