BALTIMORE (CNN) — A Baltimore mother is hoping police can help her recover a handmade quilt that was stolen from her front porch. 

She says it was a gift from a friend for her infant son, who has been hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit since he was born.

Everyday Claire Hanway packs a bag to spend the day with her son Cas in the NICU. 

“He was born 15 weeks early, so just shy of four months,” said Hanway.

She describes is as a rollercoaster — filled with progress and uncertainty. 

“You’re not sure what this means in the immediate moment and not sure what it means for the rest of his life,” said Hanway.

The kindness of others helps her get through it. 

“Every little thing is special, every little gesture that people have gone out of their way to for us,” said Hanway.

That’s why she was touched by her friend’s kind gesture. 

“One of my friends made a quilt for him and had been preparing it for a couple of months.  And was so excited about it,” she said.

But Claire never got it. 

A neighbor found empty boxes addressed to her. One had baby clothes left inside, but a gift card was missing. 

The other box, the one containing the quilt, was empty.

“The box even says in a big circle for baby shower,” said Hanway. “It was made with so much love. Someone trying to help us in our time of need for our little baby whose lived his whole life in the hospital and to have it just discarded.”

Hanway has contacted the police. 

She knows this is a small crime, but getting the quilt back — whether someone finds it or returns it would mean so much to her. 

That way it can be delivered to the little boy it was made for. 

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