One Bradford woman’s plan to help a cousin diagnosed with cancer
have warmed other patients’ hearts as well as their heads.

Pat Vecellio has knitted “chemo caps” – hats that fit snug to a
person’s head – for a few months, but she has not been alone.

Vecellio went before the Zonta Club of Bradford, of which she is
the treasurer, and asked if others wanted to help. That’s when the
project took off.

“I thought, gee, maybe we can make it into a Zonta project,”
Vecellio said. From there, “everyone just started knitting …
everyone was for it.”

Vecellio made the first couple for her cousin; she got the
pattern off the Internet.

The caps’ popularity can been seen as they didn’t stay long at
the oncology department at BRMC. The eight that were originally
donated did not last until the next morning.

“They flew right out the door,” oncology receptionist Chris
Seyfang said, adding that the patients would help each other pick
out the best cap for them.

At least a dozen have been given away so far, said Vecellio, who
has been knitting on and off for several years.

Vecellio herself crocheted when she was going through
chemotherapy, when she made six afghans.

“I love to crochet, it’s very therapeutic,” she said. “It almost
becomes addicting.”

“We will keep them coming as long as they are needed,” she
added.

The caps, which take about two hours to make, have been a
godsend to patients.

“I love it. It keeps me warm at night,” Kimberly Connelly of
Eldred said. “I wear it out, too.”

The caps are mostly used by those who have lost their hair to
make them more comfortable.

“I wear it to bed at night,” Connelly said. “I get cold and
can’t sleep with the covers over my head … it keeps me warm.”

“It’s just awesome,” Connelly said. “This was absolutely
wonderful.”

Connelly said she likes the cap because it’s not bulky and “it’s
cute, too.”

They said that while the caps are mostly for anyone, women are
especially taken by them.

“It makes her feel pretty,” said Connelly, who is now in
remission.

Some volunteers knit while others donate the yarn.

In all, there are about 15 knitters, said Zonta President Judy
Harris, who is also an employee at BRMC. Some are Zonta members,
while others are not. Each cap has a card attached that it was made
by a Zonta member or friend.

Now there are about 100 to give away.

Harris added the project fits well into Zonta’s mission to “help
advance the status of women.”

“It’s a really easy way to help out women locally,” she
added.

The caps also come in a couple different sizes and different
weights for warmer temperatures as well as cooler temperatures.
They also come in bright colors as well as more subdued ones.

“Not everybody likes the bright colors,” said Vecellio, who is
also a volunteer at BRMC. “We do a variety.”

The caps are made with soft yarn, such as Fun Fur, and are not
made of wool.

Other Zonta projects include Amelia Earhart Awards, service
awards and a highway clean up.