By Jodee Weiland

This is a very different post for me, because I have an important story to tell you today! I’m about to tell you how I came to the decision that I needed to do something for cancer victims who are bravely going through chemotherapy today and every day. A few weeks ago, I was thinking about an old friend, someone I loved, who bravely fought her own battle with cancer, but in the end, lost. Actually, I think about her all the time because I miss her so much. So often, I want to pick up the phone to tell her some news or just talk, but of course, I can’t! So, as often is the case, one thought led to another!

Around that same time, I had been thinking about crocheting hats for the needy or some charitable cause as a way of giving back or paying forward. It was then, I remembered a picture taken of my friend, Rory, sitting in a chair with a knitted or crocheted hat on her head after going through chemotherapy. What stood out the most at the time was her beautiful smile, but suddenly for no reason I can explain, I thought to myself, I used to crochet a little, why couldn’t I crochet hats for cancer patients? I immediately started to research how to do this and found out there are all kinds of resources online to help you do this! For me, I now had the information I needed for Crocheting Caps for Cancer Patients with Love!

As I said, I had crocheted a little years ago, but it had been a while, and I never crocheted in the round, as you would when doing a hat. So I did more research and started looking into simple patterns. I pulled out my crochet needles, and then went to the store and bought whatever I need to make these caps. I was on a mission, and I was determined I would figure out how to do this. All was going well, until I started following the pattern I had. It just wasn’t working right, so I turned to YouTube, where I found a video called “How to Crochet a Beanie Tutorial – Beginner Friendly” from the blog, iheartstitching written by Melanie. Let me just say now, I love this young woman for helping me attain my goal, because with her video, I was finally able to crochet my caps for cancer patients.

Years before losing Rory, I watched my Aunt Rose die from cancer, a disease, when not stopped, ravages the body of its victims until they can no longer fight back. Later, another friend of mine, bravely fought cancer and won, but still does battle today with the aftermath of all the chemotherapy she had to endure to become cancer free. Looking back now, I remember vividly the day Rory called with the news of her cancer. When Rory found out she had cancer, she called me and said, “The bad news is I have cancer, and it’s incurable, but the good news is it’s treatable and can be controlled.” In the time that followed that conversation, my friend fought hard and at one point, was even in remission for a while, but when the cancer came back, it showed no mercy this time.

It was during Rory’s battle with cancer, the chemotherapy took her hair. I remember her calling me and telling me about it, but she also told me it came back in curly. With every negative in this whole ordeal, Rory somehow always saw a positive and throughout it all, she maintained her dignity and positive attitude! The day before she died, we spoke on the phone. I could hear in her voice how tired she was, and my heart broke for her. The last thing I told her was, “I love you, Rory,” and she answered, “I love you, too, Jodee.” The next day she died. Knowing how she suffered, although she never complained, broke my heart every day, from the time she called to tell me what the doctors had found to the day she died.

For many of us, Christmas is that time of year when we remember family members and friends who have passed away. For me, the memories keep them alive in my heart. I cherish the memories of the good times I had with each of my loved ones and try hard to focus on those memories, while holding them close to me in that way. This year those memories became the catalyst for me doing something I hoped would help others and at the same time, honor the memory of someone I loved, my closest friend in the world and my sister in my heart, Rory. Rory was one of the most beautiful and generous people I have ever known, and one year ago last April, she was taken from all of us after fighting a long hard battle against cancer. Crocheting Caps for Cancer Patients with Love is my way of trying to help others who are now fighting this battle and honoring the memory of dear friend, Rory! I feel as though she would want me to do this and is looking down with a smile, so hopefully those who get these hats will find comfort in having them. I wish each and every one of you Happy Holidays and good health, so enjoy!