It Pains Me ...

A few weeks ago Mr. Dee told me one about one of his co-workers who was diagnosed with cancer.  She already started treatment, and has started losing her hair.  To combat the hair loss, she had her beautiful blond locks cut real short.

I asked him to inquire what her favorite colors are, but not to hint as to why.  She said purple and blue.  I went to my stash, took out a ball of the now coveted "Marlene" fibers (they've been discontinued), grabbed my crochet hook and set to work.  When I was done I held an incredibly soft hat with wisps of fibers and a hint of gold.  I wrapped the hat in tissue paper and requested he deliver it to his co-worker.

He called me later that afternoon to tell me of her delight in receiving the chemo hat.  Tell her, I reminded him, that it's full of positive thoughts and the the gold in the fiber resembles the sparkle of her eyes.  He did.

This morning he called me from work to say she told him that she wore her new Chemo Hat all weekend long and loved it.  In fact, she had also worn it to her Chemo treatment on Friday and received many compliments.  While I am delighted that she loves the hat, and that she received so many compliments with it, it pains me that we still need them.  I look forward to the day when NO more chemo hats will ever be needed again! 

~ . ~ . ~

We're coming up on the first year since loosing my Aunt Josephine, and losing blogger Pamela Hilger of JustOneGirlsHeadNoise; she touched so many lives!  Pamela's blog is still there, but the pictures have been removed.  I don't know how much longer the blog will remain, but people, like myself, are still stopping by.  Some still leaving messages for her, and for her grieving family. 

The followingis from an entry Pamela wrote one day after she went for a Chemo treatment.  The hat she references is one I crocheted especially for her with the same "Marlene" yarn ...

"most days the patients sit chatting quietly with each another .. yesterday morning there was a woman and her husband there i had seen on several occasions .. she was always quiet, never making a fuss .. just sitting there in those sexy hospital gowns in a hat on that reminded me of Gilligan's Island

"i pulled my chair closer to hers and inquired, polietly, about her condition .. although her husband tried to interject on several occasions (to save his wife the effort of breathing i suppose) i really DID want to talk to her, to her hear side of her story .. pretty soon her gracious husband "got it" and was content to sit back and listen .. then i asked if her Gilligans hat held any sentimemtal significance .. she shook her head no

"i pulled my hand crocheted chemo cap from my head (i was wearing my black and green one) and then i asked her if she'd noticed my chemo cap that was crocheted by a friend of mine .. she ran her hand over the cap, exclaimed how soft it was .. i encouraged her to put it on so we could see what it looked like .. and she looked like a queen .. a chemo cap fit for a queen .. just about that time my technician came to fetch me and i told her to keep the cap, it looks like it was made just for her and she looks beautiful

"and tomorrow i know when i see my new friend, she'll have a smile on her face and a beautiful new chemo cap on her head .. its amazing, even when you're at your sickest, just doing a little something to make you feel pretty sure does do a long way"

Pamela, we miss you! 

For those wishing to crochet chemo hats, I have a free pattern here.  Or if you'd rather sponsor a hat, you can do so for $35; contact me for details on how.  Profits are donated to the American Cancer Society.  Like I stated, I look forward to the day when NO more chemo hats will ever be needed again!

Update: Those looking for the luscious Mondial "Marlene" yarn, check ebay! 

Tags: cancer sucks, crochet, marlene yarn