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Now, that's a hat!

Cancer patient and former local resident Carrie Neufeld hopes to help provide comfort and style to other cancer patients with her 'FUNcer' hats
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Seamstress Carrie Neufeld and her daughter Sloane show off handfuls of Carrie's creation, FUNcer caps, which she makes for cancer patients who have lost their hair. As a cancer patient herself, she wanted a hat that was easy to make, was comfortable to wear, and was fun, colourful and fashionable. Carrie donates them to the hat and wig boutique at the Saskatoon Cancer Centre. She is happy that her contributions complement the efforts of many other people who also donate to either the Saskatoon clinic, or the Allan Blair Cancer Clinic in Regina, to provide colour and style for cancer patients.



A seamstress and former resident of Weyburn wanted something simple yet fashionable to cover her head when she became a cancer patient and lost all her hair, and now hopes her simple creations can help comfort other cancer patients. So, she started sewing hats.

The daughter of the late Ernest and Irene Neufeld, Carrie graduated from the Comp in 1982, and has been sewing with a passion since she was in Grade 6 or 7.

Carrie, born and raised in Weyburn and now of Saskatoon, was diagnosed with lung cancer in February of 2011, and when chemotherapy led to the loss of her hair, she found she really needed something to cover her head with.

"I hadn't realized when you lose your hair from chemo, your head is so sensitive - and my head was so cold," she said, and wanted to find something suitable for putting on her head that would help keep it warm. "And if you look good, you feel good!"
"At first when I started creating hats, they took me a long time I just kept experimenting with fabrics, and with hat designs that would be comfortable and that I could sleep in. I came up with this easy pattern," said Carrie, noting it's just a few pieces of cloth, but using colourful fabric with bright and fun designs.

"I bought a pattern, but it was more work than what I wanted; I wanted something really simple," she added.

Estimating it now takes her about an hour to make one, she's made over 50 of the hats so far, and plans to continue making them to give to the wig and hat room at the Saskatoon Cancer Centre - and hopes to evenually work with other volunteers to "pay it forward" to other cancer patients in need of covering their heads.

"There's only so much I can do on my own; the centre has so many new patients every day," she said."I've never seen any of my hats left over in the bin where I bring them in, so people are definitely making use of them."

Carrie calls the hats "FUNcer caps", and on a tag attached to each one, she has an expression that very much describes her own attitude about her disease: "Cancer's not fun - but hats can be!", and explains briefly that she found making the hats to be very therapeutic for her.

In fact, Carrie found there was a two-fold benefit to her project of making these hats.

"It kind of took my mind off my cancer diagnosis and kept me more occupied, so it was good for me," she said, in addition to the benefit of giving her something comfortable and fun to wear.

"My first reaction to chemo was fairly horrible. My body parts felt like they weren't really connected; it was like my brain was disconnected from my body," she said, noting the sewing project helped her in a sense to reconnect again.

She made some extra hats and decided to donate them through the volunteer centre at the cancer clinic.

She has her email address on a tag attached to the hats. She is hoping that some people might give her some feedback about her hats. One day while at the hospital she saw a woman wearing one of her hats. "The lady said, 'It was so nice and soft on my head, and so colourful!"

"When I wear my hats, I get lots of comments," she added, as people take notice of the bright colours she uses, and added features like funky flowers and sequins to make the hats truly fun and attractive. It just gives that added touch.

"My favourite fabric is really soft jersey; that feels so nice on my head," said Carrie.

She chooses different fabrics for the seasons: cottons and jersey for summer and fleece is warm and soft for the winter months.

How many she makes on a given day is partly dependent on how she's feeling, plus on how her stock of fabric and thread is holding up. Some friends, including from Weyburn and area, have given donations to help buy fabric and thread, and Carrie is so thankful for the help this has provided her. So far, one fabric store, Fabric Frenzy in Saskatoon, has donated some of their fabric ends to her for this project.

"It's nice when you can go and buy fabric; I bought quite a bit of fabric that was on sale," said Carrie.

The Saskatoon Cancer Centre, and its sister facility, the Allan Blair Cancer Centre in Regina, both have a boutique available where hats are available free to cancer patients, along with wigs, scarves and blankets, all of which are donated for the use of the patients. The boutique runs strictly on donations, and the patients who take the items greatly appreciate them, said an employee of the boutique. People who want to donate any items like wigs, hats or scarves were advised to phone the centre first to see if they have the room to handle the donations, whether in Saskatoon or Regina.

"All the hats are very well-received by those who take them, and the extra flair of fashion is very appreciated. Lots of people can't make their own or buy them," said the employee of the boutique. "Without people like her (Carrie), patients would not be receiving them."

For now Carrie wants to keep the hat design at its simplest, so she can line them up in an assembly-line fashion and quickly sew up a batch of them. As she's gotten into sewing hats and donating them through the cancer centre, Carrie said she's found "there's a need for things like that", to help patients and to provide opportunities for them to also be creative. It just feels really good to donate to this cause.

She noted the cancer centre put on a seminar called, "Look Good, Feel Better", which she attended. This encouraged her in her hat-making as this was exactly what she wanted to achieve in providing these hats. There was another woman at this event that regularly brings hats to the program participants. There are many others who feel as she does and want to make a contribution to help other cancer patients.

"There is often a need for volunteers for various art programs at the hospital, and I would really like to do that," said Carrie.
"I have to learn to relax a little more. But I do love to learn new things," she said, adding she has also taken classes for jewelry making. Silver and copper are the materials she is using now. "I love to make jewelry. Earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings trying out different techniques on each unique piece I always seem to have a project on the go! I've also started making my own organic soaps, bath bombs and lotions, experimenting with different essential oils. "

She added the support of her family and friends have really helped her get through dealing with her cancer.

"My siblings have really been there for me during this journey, all in different ways I am hugely grateful for their encouragement. Things like getting a card in the mail, an e-mail, going for a walk, a phone call or a visit/help at my home. It's empowering to have that support from your family. I also found a support group. There aren't very many support groups; yet these people are a great source of information because sometimes doctors don't have all the answers to your questions," she said.

Carrie and her husband Scott have three children, Sloane, who is 12 years old, and sons Flinn, 16, who is in high school, and Foster, 20, who is attending university in Saskatoon.

In the meantime, she continues to make her hats, and hopes they will be put to good use and ejoyed by cancer patients.
Those who have benefitted from Carrie's flair for colour and fun fashion will tip their hats in appreciation of her gift as she continues to provide them.