Cape Coral twin sisters find way to help chemotherapy patients cope
Twin sisters Denise DiFelice and Diane Hamilton turned the devastating prospect of Denise losing her hair from chemotherapy into a way for her and others to maintain their natural beauty and bolster positive emotions. They have been providing a free Hat Hair service from Denise’s Cape Coral home for nearly three years.
Denise had a bilateral mastectomy in November 2019, and after starting chemotherapy in May 2020, she began experiencing significant hair loss.
“I bought a wig, but I just couldn’t wear it,” she said.
“I went online to try to find a way to keep her hair, but couldn’t find any solution,” recalled Diane. “I prayed all night. I was sewing the next morning and I realized that might be the key to it.”
Most of the hair for that first hat for Denise came from Diane, with the rest coming from Denise. They began making pieces for others in September 2020. As of mid-February, 50 have been given to recipients in Cape Coral, the rest of our area, in Michigan and elsewhere.
The sisters guide people in cutting plugs of their hair and reinforcing the strands with rubber bands or hair clips, choosing a hat and bringing or sending it all to them. Each Hat Hair is made in a day or two by sewing the plugs on a strip of material which gets attached with Velcro just above the inside of the hat’s edges.
The sisters and their families moved from suburban Detroit to Lehigh Acres in 1982 and operated a residential cleaning business. Denise - who was a counselor and shelter supervisor for Abuse Counseling and Treatment, a case manager at Shell Point Retirement Community and a high school math teacher at North Nicholas and elsewhere - moved with her husband to the Cape eight years ago.
Diane, a semi-retired, master-level limited license psychologist, lives in Michigan and stays with Denise for parts of each winter along with other visits.
Emily Krutz, owner of the Taking Care of Frizzness beauty salon in Cape Coral, began donating hair for their efforts in mid-2021.
“When I retire someone’s extensions or give a transformative haircut, I often save it,” Krutz said. “Denise has sent me pictures of our clients’ hair being turned into hats and I show it to them. They are thrilled to see the finished piece.”
“We like to send pictures to people that support us,” added Denise.
“We need to make more blonds!” she added while looking at some finished pieces in her work area which includes two sewing machines.
The public can also donate some of their hair and hats. The sisters also accept dyed hair. The pieces are also helpful for those with alopecia or thinning hair.
“We have more of a purpose now,” said Diane of their venture. “People are so appreciative.”
“People have cried,” said Denise. “We’ve had such a great response. It’s so rewarding to us.”
For more information or to donate, call 239-898-1749, email denisedifelice@yahoo.com or visit hathair.net.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Cape Coral twin sisters find way to help chemotherapy patients cope
