A B.C. teen who has Down syndrome has sewn a blanket for Cpl. Nathan Cirillo's son so that he can have a "warm hug."
Angel Magnussen, 18, spends hours making blankets, hats, and travel pillows for sick kids and hospitals. She calls them Hugginz because the blankets wrap up people "in a warm hug," said her website.
A regimental funeral was held Tuesday for Cirillo, who was murdered last week while standing guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa.
When Magnussen learned that Cirillo had a five-year-old son, she knew she had to make him a special gift, said Global News.
“She was quite determined that when she made his blanket that one of the hearts that’s quilted into it, has the letters ‘DAD’ quilted into it so that each time he hugged that blanket he would feel his dad and know that his dad loved him,” Angel’s mom, Cheryl, told Global.
Magnussen got WestJet's help to get the blanket to Marcus Cirillo in Hamilton, Ont. The airline's staff hand-carried the blanket from the Comox, B.C. airport to Calgary and then onto Hamilton. RCMP officers there agreed to deliver the gift to Cirillo's regiment, who will then give it to the boy.
"She is so happy that it will be filled with so much love for this boy. He deserves and needs to feel the love of our nation is with him," wrote Cheryl on the Hugginz Facebook page. "Our love goes out to everyone that is helping to deliver this blanket into this young boy's arms."
Magnussen has raised over $270,000 for various B.C. charities.
Funeral procession of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo
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Open Image ModalTwo police officers stand under a Canadian flag ahead of the funeral for Cpl. Nathan Cirillo in Hamilton, Ontario, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. Cirillo was standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last Wednesday when he was killed by a gunman who went on to open fire on Parliament Hill before being shot down in a hail of bullets. Cirillo will be laid to rest in his southern Ontario hometown. (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)
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Open Image ModalThe casket of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo is towed during his funeral procession in Hamilton, Ontario, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. Cirillo was standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last Wednesday when he was killed by a gunman who went on to open fire on Parliament Hill before being shot down in a hail of bullets. Cirillo will be laid to rest in his southern Ontario hometown. (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)
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Open Image ModalMarcus Cirillo, the son of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, wears a Highlander cap during the funeral procession for his father in Hamilton, Ontario, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. Cirillo was standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last Wednesday when he was killed by a gunman who went on to open fire on Parliament Hill before being shot down in a hail of bullets. Cirillo will be laid to rest in his southern Ontario hometown. (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)
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Open Image ModalA Highlanders regimental pipe band takes part in Cpl. Nathan Cirillo's funeral procession in Hamilton, Ontario, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. Cirillo was standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last Wednesday when he was killed by a gunman who went on to open fire on Parliament Hill before being shot down in a hail of bullets. Cirillo will be laid to rest in his southern Ontario hometown. (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)
(05 of07)
Open Image ModalThe casket of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo is towed during his funeral procession in Hamilton, Ontario, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. Cirillo was standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last Wednesday when he was killed by a gunman who went on to open fire on Parliament Hill before being shot down in a hail of bullets. Cirillo will be laid to rest in his southern Ontario hometown. (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)
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Open Image ModalMembers of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regiment marches during the funeral procession of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo in Hamilton, Ontario, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. Cirillo was standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last Wednesday when he was killed by a gunman who went on to open fire on Parliament Hill before being shot down in a hail of bullets. Cirillo will be laid to rest in his southern Ontario hometown. (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)
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Open Image ModalMounted Hamilton police ride down a street as people gather for the funeral procession of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo in Hamilton, Ontario, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. Cirillo was standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last Wednesday when he was killed by a gunman who went on to open fire on Parliament Hill before being shot down in a hail of bullets. Cirillo will be laid to rest in his southern Ontario hometown. (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)