Cushions of Comfort

Ava Clay sews pillows that help ease pain experienced by people with a chemotherapy port.

by Thomas Celona
December 11, 2025

Breast cancer survivor Ava Clay makes port pillows to help ease the discomfort experienced by people receiving chemotherapy. Photo courtesy of Ava Clay

FOR AVA CLAY, the discomfort of cancer treatment started before she even reached the infusion center. Before her first chemotherapy session for stage III breast cancer in July 2016, the then-35-year-old had a port implanted under the skin in her upper chest. The device allowed doctors to access a large central vein for chemotherapy infusions, but her port was on the right side of her chest—exactly where the seat belt hit when she sat in the passenger seat of the car. Each time she rode in the car, the pressure of the seat belt would irritate the sensitive area around her port.

Hoping to alleviate that discomfort, Clay’s sister-in-law sent a gift: a port pillow. The tiny cushion attaches to a seat belt and lifts it off the port. “It seems like a small thing, but it provides a lot of relief,” Clay says. So after she completed treatment in October 2017, the former professional seamstress settled down at a sewing machine to make pillows in a variety of colors and designs for other cancer patients.

In the fall of 2024, Clay began fundraising for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in St. Louis, which supports the American Cancer Society. To encourage people to contribute, she pledged to sew one port pillow for every $15 in donations. She raised nearly $5,000—enough to make more than 300 pillows for people receiving chemotherapy.

Make Your Own Port Pillow

This sewing project can offer relief to people receiving chemotherapy.

To create a port pillow, select a cotton fabric with a fun design or bold colors and then follow these steps:

Cut out two 7-by-4-inch rectangular pieces of fabric.
Cut two strips of hook-and-loop tape (commonly known as Velcro) so they are each 3.5 inches long. Separate the tape so you have four individual pieces.
Place one piece of fabric so the decorative side faces up. Put a piece of tape 1.5 inches away from each corner along the edge of the long sides of the fabric. Orient the tape pieces so the adhesive sides match up. Loosely stitch the tape pieces to the fabric.
Position the second piece of fabric atop the other piece so the decorative sides face each other. Sew the pieces together along the two long sides and one of the short sides.
Flip the fabric inside out so the decorative sides are visible. Then fill the fabric with polyester pillow stuffing.
Close the pillow by sewing together the opening.

Clay says she’s glad to use her skills to help ease the pain that can come with treatment. “I’ve been through it, and I know what it feels like. So if I can do something small to help someone else, I’m happy to do so,” she says.