Eileen McCaughey is one tough cookie. The 89-year-old founder and inspirational leader of the Busy Finger knitting club returned to her Fallingbrook recently returned home after spending the better part of the last five months in hospital.

Her ordeal began in late December when she was diagnosed with a kidney infection and admitted to the Montfort Hospital.

After spending nearly a week at the Montfort, she was released and returned home, Within days she began experiencing flu-like symptoms and was diagnosed with COVID and readmitted to the Montfort.

While being treated for COVID, Eileen came down with pneumonia. For many elderly seniors, pneumonia can often be fatal.

Fortunately, Eileen was able to recover and once again return home. That’s when things went from bad to much worse. While working in her kitchen, Eileen fell and suffered a double fracture to her pelvis.

After she fell, Eileen pressed her medic alert button, which is linked to her neighbours. They came to her aid and called 911.

For the third time in less than six weeks, Eileen was back at the Montfort, but this time she was in terrible pain.

“It’s the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life,” says Eileen, who turns 90 in August. “I’d rather give birth to 12 children than go through that again.”

After being admitted to the Monfort, Eileen was transferred to the General Hospital for an MRI. From there she was sent to the Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital. Each time she was moved the pain was excruciating.

There is very little that can be done to heal a fractured pelvis. It has to heal on its own, which even for a younger person can take weeks. In Eileen’s case, it took almost four months. During that time, Eileen’s daughter Anne-Marie visited her every day without fail and brought her dinner.

“She was an absolute angel,” says Eileen.

When her pelvis finally began to heal and the pain subsided, Eileen had to begin physiotherapy before she was allowed to go home. That was two weeks ago.

Before she started her physio, Eileen could barely walk on her own, or lift her arms. Remarkably, she is nearly back to full strength. She is also back to running the knitting club.

The core group of the club continued to meet at Eileen’s house every Monday with her daughter acting as the hostess.

At one point while Eileen was at the Bruyère, three of the club’s members brought her a large afghan blanket made up of 20 panels, each of them knitted by a different member.

The club is still going strong knitting afghans, socks, scarves and mittens using wool donated by Orléans Star readers in response to an appeal made last December.

“Can you believe it? Everyone was so generous it brings tears to my eyes,” says an emotional McCaughey.

The newly knitted items will be distributed to organizations and individuals in need this winter. That said the club and its more than 200 members are always in need of more wool. Anyone wishing to make a donation should e-mail eileen.mccaughey@outlook.com.