December 12, 2003

Handmade hats hung on the tree
with care

Every December the MGH Cancer Center proudly displays a holiday tree decorated with hats, and this year is no exception. Women experiencing hair loss as a result of chemotherapy or radiation treatment are encouraged to visit the tree and select one of more than 500 hats that are handmade by local community members from throughout New England.

From left, Debrah Burke, RN, of MGH Patient Care Services; Jennifer Searl, of MGH Social Services; and Linda Antoniou, a patient of the MGH Cancer Center, help decorate the hat tree.

Friends Fighting Breast Cancer and Fabric Place stores collaborate every year to sponsor a Holiday Hat Drive where free hat patterns are distributed at the five Fabric Place locations in New England. Community members are encouraged to return with a handmade hat, which will then be placed on the tree in the MGH Cancer Center. Fabric Place also contributes $5 for every hat collected for the Friends Fighting Breast Cancer, an all-volunteer organization that raises money for breast cancer research at the MGH.

For more information about Friends Fighting Breast Cancer, call (617) 724-2818.