Springfield woman honors COVID-19 victims through origami

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Since the pandemic began, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) says 55,867 people in Greene County have tested positive for COVID-19. 843 people in the region have died from it. Whether somebody makes it through their battle or not, Anne Egbert in Springfield is using arts and crafts to honor them.

OzarksFirst spoke with a woman at the United Way of the Ozarks who says Egbert gave her a gift she’ll never forget.

In September of 2021, Liz Wertz received an origami crane from Egbert. This was a way of honoring her father who died in 2020. Wertz tells OzarksFirst the crane is meant to be a sign of bravery and never giving up.

“I have it hanging in my office in memory of him,” Wertz said. “I smile every time I look at it.”

“I was definitely daddy’s girl,” Wertz said. “He made a lasting impact on my life. It’s been really hard to go through big moments and not have him here.”

Egbert met Wertz when she volunteered at United Way. Eventually, she told her about her creative tribute to COVID victims.

“This is a sign of courage and perseverance through great difficulty,” Egbert said. “That’s what they’ve gone through. The person who died from COVID, that’s a bad way to die. That ought to be honored in a positive way. Not just in sorrow, but in something that you could hang.”

Her passion for making origami cranes comes from a children’s book called “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.” The story is about a young, Japanese girl named Sadako who got leukemia from the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. The story mentions a Japanese legend that says anyone who makes a thousand origami cranes would be healed. Sadako tried and died before making about 700 of them. After she died, her friends united to make the remaining 300.

“I was working in COVID when it started and it was desperate,” Egbert said. “We couldn’t test people. You had to send them to the CDC. It seemed to me that we were going through this difficulty that we didn’t ask for. It required courage and perseverance. That was similar to what happened to the atom bomb survivors. That’s why I started making cranes. If I make them in a way that represents that person it’s a beautiful gift for them, but a painful gift.”

Egbert made a patriotic crane for Wertz since her father served in the Coast Guard.

“It means the world,” Wertz said. “My father was really passionate about his country. To be able to look at that in memory of him every day keeps me motivated. I have it hanging because it reminds me that he’s always looking down on me. I think he would really appreciate it.”

Egbert tells OzarksFirst she can make a small crane in about 15 minutes. She has made more than 1,000 paper cranes. Egbert says she would love to make more for anyone who has lost a loved one to COVID-19, or those whose family member or friend is going through an intense battle.