First, I will tell you that these hats sell for $7.00 US /9.00 Canada. This included shipping! That may seem like a lot for a hat that you might buy at a Walmart, made in China for $2.00 or $3.00... but these hats are made with our hands and hearts, and from the profits, we send our little hats to those who need our rainbow of hope! We are very small scale right now, with a vision to make and send out MANY.

In October of 2005, at my annual visit to the OB/GYN, my doctor did a pap and noticed my right ovary very large. I told her I often had pain. She decided to do an ultrasound after finishing the rest of my exam. We got to the breasts and she found a lump. We went across the room, did the ultrasound and she saw a huge cyst on my ovary. My head was spinning and her face showed much concern.

To keep this as short as possible, in the next week, I had a mammogram finding 3 calcium lumps and had to return for a second mammogram. Meanwhile, the cyst on the ovary enlarged and I found I was soon heading in for surgery.

Both tests took 8-10 days to come back from tests/readings while I recovered from the removal of the ovary and cyst. Needless to say, twas a wacky October. HOWEVER...

While we waited for results from the ovarian biopsy, I realized if it was full of cancer, life was going to change quickly.

For some reason, rather than be afraid, I was suddenly incredibly grateful for my life and knew I could not do anything about it at that moment. My husband and I had been living apart for 14 months, not sure which way we were heading... but because of the surgery, we let our guard down and the love back in... and decided to reunite. We had one happy little girl. Her daddy had been living 300 miles away.

The test results came back and all was clear. Christmas came, and we happily all three put on our red Santa hats and bopped around town shopping. Everyone smiled seeing our Santa's hats coming at them.

Christmas past and while putting the hats back in the holiday box I was hit hard with a vision. I realized that little red hat represented many things to folks. Hope to a child, wanting a toy, joy of family together during the holidays, and reflection of the GIFT of the celebrated birth of Christ.

The next vision was of me... bald! Yes, bald. I realized I was only a positive/malignant or negative/non-malignant away from Chemotherapy and the road that would follow. I deeply was aware that so many people have received the POSITIVE test results... and my heart just swelled with compassion. In that moment, seeing myself bald, seeing myself going through CHEMO, then connecting with every man, woman and child who IS or HAS gone through CHEMO or other diseases... THE HAPPY HATS came absolutely clear to me... saying MAKE ME! BUT MAKE ME AS A RAINBOW OF HOPE!

So, I set out to find THE SOFTEST FLEECE and the most powerfully colored rainbow pattern available. I decided to follow the Santa style... for the GIFT of HOPE.

THE VISION I HAVE NOW.... is to sell these hats to many... to those who wear them to say they care and contribute, to those who say they are survivors... and to those still in treatment, losing their hair, feeling sick and often alone. It is my vision to place a HAPPY HAT or HAT OF HOPE on every beautiful being that is fighting for their life.