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Michele Hirata sells crepes at local farmers market to support her hat project, Fat Thumb. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)

WASHINGTON - A local woman has started a business to support her habit. But, it's a habit that's very sweet and giving.

Michele Hirata makes and sells savory crepes on weekends at the Dale City and Occoquan farmers' markets.

Her business is called "Crepes de Pouce Gras" which means Crepes of Fat Thumb in French. Besides being known as the crepe woman, she's also known as the chick with the fat thumbs -- hence the name.

For the past seven years, she's been making and sending her handmade hats to hair-loss patients, mainly cancer patients, for free.

"Cancer patients just loved it," she says of her hats. "It wasn't hot or itchy and you could wash it."

The best part she says, "They were so unique looking that it took away from their hair loss. And then people would talk about the hat versus their cancer."

Hirata began the hat program after her mother lost her 17-year battle with cancer. She says her mom hated wearing a wig or hat. And, that's why she developed a really comfortable hat knitted out of tie-dye T-shirt fabric.

She says her mission is it to bring smiles to faces of people battling hair loss. If you know someone who could use a smile, contact her at michele@fatthumb.com

Crepes de Pouce Gras

Crepes de Pouce Gras, which translates to “Crepes of Fat Thumbs,” is owned and operated by Michele Hirata. Hirata started the business in order to fund her Fat Thumbs charity. (The name comes from Hirata’s own fat thumbs that she used to get teased for.) The charity was founded in April 2004 and provides free handmade “Fat Thumb Chemo Beanies” to hospitals, cancer centers, and fundraisers. The hats are made specifically to be extremely comfortable for patients who are going through chemotherapy.

How can you help support this local charity? Buy her delicious crepes! Every Saturday and Sunday until December 2011, Hirata will be at Occoquan Farmer’s Market and Dale City Farmer’s Market respectively. Some of their savory crepes include selections such as pulled pork with barbecue sauce and coleslaw, roast beef with gorgonzola, romaine, and tomato, or two vegetarian options: tomato, mozzarella and basil or gorgonzola with sundried tomatoes. A few of their sweet crepes include Nutella with fruit, Bavarian cream custard with fresh fruit and cream, and sweetened ricotta with fresh fruit and cream.

Occoquan Farmer’s Market (Saturdays 8 a.m. to noon)
125 Mill Street
Occoquan, VA 22125

Dale City Farmer’s Market (Sundays 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.)
Dale Blvd. (next to Center Plaza Shopping Center)
Dale City, VA 22193

Yes indeed being a “Thrillionaire” is trending now and is moving into a permanent shift that excites us day to day, as described in Ode Magazine for Intelligent Optimists. If you experience true joy and happiness in giving, giving your time, money, energy – then you my friend are a Thrillionaire! There are a million ways to be a Thrillionaire from bagging up stuff for charity, to helping a stranger with a random act of kindness, to writing a fat check for your favorite cause. Share your inspiring story by visiting Thrillionaires.org.

We have Thrillionaires all around us here in Prince William County and this weekend May 14th at Forrest High School in Woodbridge VA we have yet again another memorable and totally awesome Relay for Life. Come out and walk, give, eat, play and have fun all night long as we raise money and awareness for finding the cure for cancer - Yes We Will!

On a very personal note one of our very own residents Michele, owner and founder of Fat Thumb has a story like no other. She lost her mother to cancer in 2003 and witnessed her mom’s pain and suffering and hair loss. Afterwards Michele was moved to hand-knit beanie hats to cover and adorn peoples’ beautiful heads that had lost their hair due to cancer treatment and illness. This was her way to give back, to be part of the process of life and love.

This act of passion and compassion has lead to a booming business and Michele has given away over 1,000 hats to date and was featured in USAA’s 2010 Winter Magazine! Now that’s a Thrillionaire! Listen up, this is the delicious part. To support her hat making offerings Michele operates a French crepe shoppe called Crepes De Pouce Gras and sells crepes made to order at local farmer’s markets in Dale City and Occoquan until Dec 2011. These aren’t just any crepe’s either, they are made with the finest cheeses, veggies, fruits and topped with lots of love. Now that’s a cause I can sink my teeth into!

Not sure what inspires you? Why not think about what you love to do and turn it into a way to give back. A Dance-a-thon maybe? Or volunteer for your favorite organization or just drop a few coins in your local animal rescue jar – just enjoy the act of giving and being the Thrillionaire you always wanted to be!

The sounds of Dale City’s Farmers Market never sounded so passionate. It is not just the delectable foods served hot and ready to eat that make your mouth water and heart pound; like the Crepes De Pouce Gras or the Colonial Kettle Corn, but the selection, oh my gosh the selection! Everything from homemade breads and pastries by Great Harvest, to the freshest of vegetables and herbs, AND Sweet Valley Farm goat cheeses which are unsurpassed in taste and quality. If you don’t like your goat’s milk in cheese form try the gorgeous soaps and lotions by Energizing Escentials. Your skin never felt so goat milky smooth – that’s a good thing! Plus you can sample to your palate’s content. See videos and photos to get a visual taste!

The freshest colorful and most fragrant flowers adorned the market place this past Sunday, mixing with the green smells of herbs ready to plant and leafy veggies ready to create the healthiest spring salads. As you walk around you’re lured in by a warm sweet waft of Colonial Kettle Corn popping in that corner spot. Get it freshly popped and let the sweet crunchy flavors melt in your mouth as you plan your next Sunday morning visit now.

If a cool refreshment sounds more satisfying slide your spoon into the Holy Grail of sorbets. It’s not just the flavor explosion that will rock your taste buds but the artful fusion of flavors to include: Blueberry Lavender, Lemon Ginger and all your traditional favs like Strawberry, Blackberry Lime and Pineapple Basil - Hmmm, or rather Mmmm.

This Farmers Market is an affair to remember and will have you falling in love and coming back to experience all the sights, tastes and smells week to week as the bounty changes with the seasons. Come fill your baskets and support your local farmers and community with the foods and ingredients that are the freshest of fresh.

You won't want to miss next weeks spotlight article on helping cancer patients by eating Crepes de Pouce Gras, now this is a cause I can sink my teeth into. A story in support of those challenged with cancer, and keep them smiling!

A Montclair woman makes tasty crepes for patrons at two area farmers markets each weekend.

But what some of her customers might not know from eating the food is that the proceeds are going to a great cause.

Michele Hirata uses the funds from her crepe stand to help chemotherapy and hair loss patients by knitting them colorful and fun hats.

It all started when she made a hat for her mother, who had battled breast cancer for over 17 years.

Hirata said her mother “didn’t feel like herself” with conventional wigs or other head coverings after her chemotherapy treatment.

Hirata’s mother died from the cancer in 2003.

She said she saw the impact the comfortable hats had on her mother, and knew she could help others.

Hirata started knitting the hats through her small business—aptly named “Fat Thumb” for Hirata’s self-proclaimed fat thumbs—a year later.

Hirata said she initially made about 24 hats a month, but an article about her published in the United States Automobile Association magazine last December changed everything.

She said she soon received 600 requests for the hats, all from around the world.

“I was overwhelmed, I was happy, and I’ve just been able to take it one hat at a time,” Hirata said. “I’m a really fast knitter.”

Hirata said she has fulfilled over 450 of the hat requests in just a little over 4 months.

Hirata needed a way to pay for the influx of hat orders. She chose to make crepes because of the creativity required to make them.

Her interest in farmers markets, and meeting people in the community, also sealed the deal.
Hirata’s crepes contain ham, chicken, marinated flank steak, as well as various cheeses, including Monterey jack and bleu cheese, depending on what is ordered.

Those who want something sweet can enjoy a dessert crepe made of various tasty treats, including key lime pie, banana pudding, rich Bavarian custard, strawberries, and other foods, based on what item is chosen.

The food used in the crepes comes from fruits and vegetables found in the respective farmers markets, Hirata said.

Hirata also serves the food at the Occoquan Farmers Market on Mill Street Saturdays 8 a.m. to noon.

She is at the Dale City location, which is right beside Center Plaza in Dale City, off of Gemini Way, Sundays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Hirata said she does not sell her hats, but she does accept donations on her website.

Those who are interested in a hat for someone in need can write to Hirata on the website.

Staff writer David Pierce can be reached at 703-530-3905

Farmers Market Returns

Dale City, Va. –– With the smell of fresh-popped kettle corn wafting in the air, some 18 vendors began the 2011 season of the Dale City Farmer’s Market.

Small stands and trucks lined up in the commuter parking lot behind Center Plaza on Dale Boulevard selling a little bit of everything. Spring vegetables, homemade mixes, baked goods, cheese, soap, and plants were available, along with sorbet, honey, pickles, and flowers. Several people had stepped up onto a refrigerated truck to select local grass-fed beef from mounted freezers.

Woodbridge locals Carly and her little sister Bree came with their mother, who said their family likes the market so much they anxiously await the opening of the following year’s farmer’s market in November, when the current year’s market closes or the season “My favorite is the flowers”, said Carly.

While many of the vendors come back year after year Michele Hirata was enjoying her first day.

Hirata opened the business to support her non-profit organization, Fat Thumb, which provides hand-knit beanies free of charge to chemotherapy patients.

“I was featured in the USAA magazine last year, and I’ve had more orders than I can keep up with. This was a creative way to keep filling orders free of charge”.

The Dale City Farmer’s Market is a Prince William County Park Authority activity, and runs from April through November each Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Kristina Schnack Kotlus is PotomacLocal.com’s Style and Events producer and lives with her family in Woodbridge.

Montclair resident Michele Hirata sports one of the many caps she has been knitting for people who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy and other illnesses, at her home on Tuesday.

Her husband was in the Air Force in Monterey, Calif., and the couple was at a Christmas party. Another partygoer asked what she did for a living.

The blonde-haired woman with the easy smile has been an artist ever since. Her work hangs not on museum walls but on the heads of grateful souls worldwide. And her payment comes not in cold cash but in warm hearts.

Before that Christmas party, in August 2003, Hirata lost her mother to breast cancer, and she wanted to do something to express herself. So the next month, her mother-in-law taught her to crochet. She later taught herself to knit.

Six months later, "at 2 a.m. on a chilly winter night," according to her Web site, she used her new skills to find the answer to her mother's biggest struggle during her 17-year bout with cancer: losing her hair.

That's when Hirata made her first chemo hat, a toque made of T-shirt material that hugs the noggin and eases the frustration of living with a head injury or an illness that causes hair loss.

She's donated more than a thousand of the head coverings to folks as far away as China, Japan and England.

"This is the way I give back," said Hirata, who's lived in Montclair since March.

"I just wanted to tell you how special you are. What you are doing means so much to so many. Words could never express how special. ... You see I have survived cancer twice but now have colon cancer again. ... You are a ray of sunshine that can brighten a very dark dreary day when it feels like you have nothing to live for."

Each hat takes Hirata about an hour and 15 minutes to make. She can knit extremely fast, perhaps because of something that used to be a negative in her life.

Hirata calls her enterprise "Fat Thumb" because she has … well … fat thumbs. It's a medical condition that was fodder for childhood teasing. But she turned that negative into a positive.

"I just wanted to thank you for your sincere act of kindness. I love the hat you sent me! I'm still amazed by all the support and love I receive from complete strangers ... it makes me feel really good about the world we live in at times."

Hirata starts by tie-dying the T-shirt material. She cuts the fabric in a specific way and then knits or crochets it, depending on how it might be worn.

She's careful to avoid knots because they're uncomfortable for chemo patients and can cause blistering.

Her first hats had about 15 knots, but she perfected the pattern so that today's "Chemo Beanies" have only one knot.

"It's really so great that you've taken on this mission. It means a lot that a total stranger would go to that effort for me. Thanks from the bottom of my heart."

Hirata donates about two dozen hats per month to individuals, hospitals, cancer centers and fundraisers. People call or e-mail her with a story, and she mails them a hat. Each is unique, with the colors chosen specifically for the recipient. About 80 percent of the requests are for women.

"Thank you so much for the hats. I got your package on a particularly rough day, and smiled through my tears. I can't explain how moved I felt—it was like you knew that I needed a "pick-me-up" in a bad way."

Hirata's work has improved the lives of people in all kinds of difficult situations, and news of it has been spread mostly by word of mouth.

Some of her contacts are fighting illness. A single mother of two in Las Vegas who had lost her job was ready to give up to breast cancer and increase her life insurance so that her children would be taken care of after her death.

Hirata responded with letters and hats, but she didn't hear from the woman for more than a year.

Finally, she received a letter saying that the woman's entire life had changed. She was cancer-free and her hair was back.

Then there is Levi Krystosek, whom Hirata met when she and her family lived in Ocean Springs, Miss.

Levi is 2 years old and has Jansen's Metaphyseal Chondrodysplasia, a rare form of debilitating dwarfism. His mother barely took him out of the house because too many people would stare.

Hirata not only made a hat for Levi's overgrown head but she has helped raise money for his care and helped get him lots of attention. The Associated Press wrote a story about Levi, and he has gotten well wishes from such famous names as Bill Cosby, Regis Philbin and the band Lynyrd Skynyrd.

He now has a specialist on his case, and his family is awaiting Food and Drug Administration approval for a drug that could possibly cure all his symptoms.

Others have lost their medical battles. On Hirata's Web site, fatthumb.com, she details the story of a man who worked with her husband.

He developed a severe infection in the lining around his brain, and she made him a Fat Thumb hat to hide the swelling and drain tubes. His mother, who stayed by her son's side, was "so thankful," Hirata wrote.

"That silly little hat made a huge impact," she wrote. "She was able to see her son look like his old self again before he died.

"I pray that God blesses you and know that what you do creates smiles at a time when smiles can be hard to come by."

Hirata takes donations of material, but she doesn't sell any of her art—she also makes handbags, and her children, 7-year-old Gennifer and 5-year-old Tyler, help with other projects—and she even pays to ship her hats.

She once was approached at Disneyland by an importer/exporter who wanted to mass-produce the hats. He promised a hefty payday, but Hirata turned him down.

Before Fat Thumb, Hirata was neither an art enthusiast nor a hat lover. But she has always has been accepting of others, perhaps because she grew up on a commune as the daughter of a hippie mom from Austin, Texas.

And, as if foreshadowing her current pursuit, she volunteered hundreds of hours earlier in life to the Alamo Head Injury Association in San Antonio.

"It's still tough and scary at times, but the fact that there are so many people that want to help out and be there for me keeps me going ... so thanks again!!"

Five years after that fateful Christmas party, Hirata is ready to pass on her gift in another way. She'll be teaching knitting, beginning Tuesday at Potomac Community Library in Woodbridge.

According to his wife, his standard line now is: "My wife's an artist, and I work hard so she can go out and change the world."

Twenty-month-old Levi Krystosek is looking for Kid Rock. Levi’s face, with big hazel eyes and sagging cheeks, is featured on fliers asking the rock-rap superstar to meet him at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Biloxi on Nov. 17 for a special music festival, Levi’s Love Fest.

Although the child isn’t old enough to listen to some of Kid Rock’s edgier material, he has a good reason to be looking for the rock-rap superstar.

Levi, of Ocean Springs, suffers from Jansen’s metaphyseal chondrodysplasia, a rare form of dwarfism that causes joint debilitation. Levi’s Love Fest is part of an effort by Levi’s family to raise awareness for the disease and find a doctor who can shed light on what little Levi will face while growing up.

To try to get Kid Rock’s attention, people have posed for photos with Levi’s sign. More than 800 pictures of people with versions of the sign are viewable at www.littlelevi.com.

They want Kid Rock, who performed at the July opening of Biloxi’s Hard Rock Cafe, to headline the benefit concert for Levi.

Dona Krystosek, Levi’s mother, also made a short Internet video available at YouTube.com.

The Krystoseks will travel to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in January. They hope to learn more about the disease, which has only 16 other cases documented worldwide.

“We know that there is not a cure but I know I have to do all I can for a pain-free productive outcome,” Mrs. Krystosek said.

More than $7,000 has been raised for the trip through the sale of Levi Love Bands, said Michele Hirata, who helps organize the fundraising events.

Those who donated $5 to the Levi Joseph Krystosek Fund received a Levi Love Band, a baby-blue bracelet made from cotton material. Their names were placed into the raffle yesterday of a guitar signed by members of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd.

One of Levi’s physicians, Dr. Jose Martinez, a geneticist at USA Women’s & Children’s in Mobile, Ala., said doctors can discover a great deal about the disease through Levi’s condition. “It is important to learn from this case,” he said.

Lynyrd Skynyrd rock Coast for good cause

September 2007
Money raised to help sick child

By JAMIE PAPPAS
SUN HERALD

On Thursday night Levi Krystosek of Ocean Springs may have been one of the few fans backstage at the Hard Rock not starstruck in the presence of Southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd, but at 18 months old, he may have been oblivious of the group's greatness.

The members of the iconic group, however, were eager to meet him.

"This has all happened in the last 24 hours," said fundraising organizer Michele Hirata, who hatched the plan to raise money for Krystosek's medical treatment taking advantage of the band's stop in Biloxi. "And as soon as we contacted the Hard Rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd jumped right on board."

Krystosek is one of only a handful of people worldwide known to suffer from Jansen's metaphyseal chondrodysplasia. The toddler is in need of testing at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, and Hirata is working to raise money to provide airfare, hotel and food allowance so his family can make the trip.

As soon as Lynyrd Skynyrd agreed to take part, Hirata set out to find items that could be autographed and raffled.

"Magnolia Music helped us out with a beautiful baby-blue Fender Strat, and Goldmine Records donated four very rare vintage vinyl albums," she said.

The group signed the guitar Thursday night at a meeting with the toddler and his family, just before the evening's show.

The signed guitar and albums will be on display at Magnolia Music for the next few weeks, Hirata said, and fans will have a chance to buy raffle tickets for a drawing that will take place in a few weeks.

Tickets will be available at a variety of locations, including Magnolia Music, Goldmine Records, Lovelace Drugs, JoAn's Hair Studio in Long Beach, and you can find more info on littleLevi.com

In the three years after her 2002 breast cancer diagnosis, JoAn Niceley, a hair stylist and wig specialist from Long Beach, Mississippi, was named Breast Cancer Survivor of the Year by the Memorial Hospital of Gulfport, and President George W. Bush recognized her volunteer work with the American Cancer Society’s Look Good … Feel Better program. If a survivor entered her salon needing a wig, she would try to get one for them, sometimes for free and usually out of her own pocket.

But in 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Many coastal Mississippi residents lost close to everything. “As Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi Gulf Coast, everything came to a screeching halt,” Niceley says. “The one thing it did not stop was cancer.”

By then, Niceley was unable to afford to help everyone who entered her salon needing a wig. “Not only did they lose their wigs, they lost everything they owned,” Niceley says. “It just broke my heart.”

She placed a pink heart-shaped box at her styling station asking for donations to help purchase wigs for cancer patients—the beginning of Pink Heart Funds.

To further raise money for survivor wigs, Niceley dedicated herself to writing a cookbook and her own personal survivor story. A few months after Katrina, just as Niceley completed her cookbook, she met Michele Hirata, who had lost her mother to breast cancer. Hirata, a designer of handmade head covers given free to cancer patients, joined Niceley to become co-founder of Pink Heart Funds.

“She gave me a front page in her cookbook after knowing me one week,” Hirata says. “This lady’s got a huge heart.” The cookbook, Appetite for Living: Pink Ribbon Recipes, sold more than 2,300 copies in four months.

Niceley and Hirata held a Hearts with Hope festival in May, which raised more than $6,000 and inspired 18 people to donate their hair to a popular organization providing wigs to children. After the festival three children with cancer approached Niceley needing a wig because the other organization had turned them down because their hair loss was not considered long-term or permanent.

In response, Niceley and Hirata created their own hair donation program, the Pony Tail Club, as another branch of Pink Heart Funds. The organization provides free wigs for children without insurance regardless of what caused the hair loss. If insurance covers a wig, Pink Heart Funds will help fill out the paperwork.

“It is most devastating to lose your hair,” Niceley says. “I know from my own experience from cancer, and having hair as soon as you lose it is an important factor in your recovery. Hair is part of your well-being and self-esteem.”

The first official Pink Heart Funds fundraiser was held on the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, raising more than $14,000. Coastal native Robin Roberts, 46, a host of “Good Morning America,” spoke at the August 29 event. “You’ve met JoAn, you don’t say ‘no’ to JoAn,” Roberts told the sold-out crowd, speaking for the first time about her recent breast cancer diagnosis.

“Her passion and her heart is so much a part of the Pink Heart Funds,” Roberts said. “And when I first met her and she told me of this group and I felt her passion, I wanted to very much be a part of something and to do something to help because I am also someone who lives by the heart.”

The organization (www.pinkheartfunds.com) provides wigs and breast prostheses, as well as resources and a hotline for callers seeking support or advice. —Lacey Meyer

"Good Morning America" co-host Robin Roberts agreed in June to speak at a fund raiser for an organization which provides wigs to women battling cancer.

"I had no idea at the time that I would a short time later be diagnosed with breast cancer myself," Roberts told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason."

Roberts, who grew up in Pass Christian, Miss., will be returning to the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Wednesday, the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. She is scheduled to speak at an event for The Pink Heart Funds, a nonprofit organization that provides wigs and breast prostheses to women suffering from breast cancer who have little or no funds.

"I kind of looked at the heavens and said 'did you know something up there that I didn't know that led me to say 'yes' to this?'" she said.

Roberts, who announced to GMA viewers on July 31 that she had been diagnosed with the disease, said she will "speak from the heart." She did say she would discuss how she first found the cancer during a self breast exam. An ultra sound, not a mammogram, later found the tumor, she added. The former college basketball star had no family history of breast cancer and said she ate right.

Roberts, 46, underwent surgery on Aug. 3 and returned to the "Good Morning America" just 10 days later.

"My mother was fussing at me for coming back in 10 days, but I wanted to get back as quickly as possible," Roberts said.

Roberts said her prognosis is "quite good." She is currently getting opinions from several doctors and anticipates her additional treatment, which may mean chemotherapy, will begin in the next 3 to 4 weeks. Roberts would discuss specifics her further treatment, saying she wants to wait until things are certain.

Plans for the Aug. 29 fund raiser Roberts is speaking at began in June, after a Gulf Coast philanthropist who wishes to remain anonymous contacted the group about having a fund raiser for the organization.

"We wanted that date because this is a feel good story to rise up out of Katrina that has nothing to do with the storm," said Michele Hirata, president of The Pink Heart Funds.

JoAn Niceley founded The Pink Heart Funds after seeing cancer patients who lost everything including their wigs during the storm. A hairdresser and wig specialist, Niceley started using her own money to buy them wigs.

"Losing your hair is the most devastating part," said Niceley, a breast cancer survivor who has been cancer free for five years.

Soon, Niceley added a little pink heart box to her hairstyling station and invited people to donate money for the wigs for those unable to buy them.

"They had to spend money on a new home and furniture and really not on themselves because they needed a roof over their heads," Hirata said.

The organization's fund raising efforts soon grew with Niceley's cookbook "Appetite For Living - Pink Ribbon Recipes." The book sold 2,800 copies in its first four months, Niceley said.

In May the group's first big fundraiser, a festival featuring music and barbecue, netted $6,000.

The organization has also started the Pony Tail Club, which collects hair at least 6 inches long from volunteers to make into wigs for children without insurance who are going through any type of hair loss illness, including cancer.

Hirata, who lost her mother to breast cancer, has created special Chemo Caps for patients suffering the effects of cancer treatment. The hats are made from T-shirts and are well ventilated to prevent the head from sweating. They also provide a conservation piece for people who are losing their hair from chemotherapy, she said.

"People don't come up to them and say 'I'm sorry you have cancer,'" Hirata said. "Now they ask where they got that hat."

Harper penned the festival’s theme song, “What Will You Give (the Butterfly Song)” and will perform the song during the festival, accompanied by a 30 person church choir. The song will also be turned into a video. “The universe has a pulse and a purpose and is always looking for people open to her messages,” said Harper. “The Butterfly Song represents a message put into motion long before those of us listening to this song ever even knew it. Now that we hear it, let’s spread the kindness, share the love and bring hope to one another. Let’s live like the Butterfly: What Will You Give?”

Harper said the inspiration for the song came from her grandmother. “My grandmother, Angelina Rigoli, was going to pass away in 2000. The family had three weeks to say goodbye,” said Harper. “Being that she was my best friend and my go-to person when I had ‘life issues’ I had tow questions for her: Who am I going to call when I have a question? To which Angelina responded, ‘listen to your heart.” When Harper lamented over the fact that she would no longer be able to see her grandmother, Rigoli responded, “Don’t worry, I’m coming back as a butterfly.”

Six years later, Harper met Michele Hirata, owner of Fat Thumb Originals. Hirata, whose mother died of cancer, sells colorful and comfortable chemo beanies, scarves and other accessories for people battling cancer. “(Michele) shared with me a poem prefacing the sharing with, ‘I do not write poetry’. Michele Had lost her mother to cancer and now her mother’s sister was dying of cancer,” said Harper. “Michele was moved to the point of writing and insisted that this poem was meant for me to write a song that was going to raise millions of dollars for cancer patients.

"Within her poem was one single line that spoke directly to me and told me that I was going to write a song, the line was, “butterflies, fly”. I knew that line was my grandmother reaching out to me. I did not know that that line would lead to ‘The Butterfly Song’ and inspire an entire event to raise money for the Pink Heart Fund, a fund that distributes monies to cancer patients on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.”

Out of the song came the idea for the festival. “While doing pre-production recording at my musical partner’s studio, Gary Bozwell, it came to me that a festival should be put on and The Shed was the perfect place,” said Harper.

“Linda Orrison is a kindred spirit of love. I knew she would be completely into helping others, and of course she was and so was Brooke, co-owner of The Shed and daughter of Linda. If Michele hadn’t of met JoAn Niceley, who has the Pink Heart Fund, we wouldn’t of had a purpose to put on such an event. The Mississippi Legislature recently passed a bill in her name. The Hearts with Hope Cancer Awareness Festival at The Shed was born through the Butterfly song; through Michele writing this poem; through my grandmother leaving me with the comfort of being able to see her in any butterfly and of course, ultimately, through God."

Hirata is using her colorful chemo beanies as a way of promoting the festival. Highway 90 motorists may notice that the famous Alberti’s gorilla, which beckons diners into the popular Italian restaurant, is wearing one of Hirata’s beanies.

"I wanted to promote Hearts with Hope in a fun, uplifting way and involve my community. It’s so important for me to share my secret of happiness with others, it’s all about what you give, really,” said Hirata. “By choosing the Alberti’s gorilla, the whole community is relating to an icon they grew up with and love. Questions are asked and in a fun way, Hearts with Hope is shared. By the way, the gorilla loves her Fat Thumb Chemo hat and has a big Heart with Hope.”

Hirata said the owner of Alberti’s told her that she would dedicate the hat on her gorilla “to all the beautiful customers that had lost their life to cancer over the last 37 years.”

Between now and festival time, Hirata said she will “be hitting some more icons around town with a little Fat Thumb love (hat) to raise awareness about Hearts with Hope.”

“I hope all store owners are as cooperative and giving as Alberti’s,” she added.

Hirata said the festival will also feature courageous cancer survivors who will share their inspirational stories. Scheduled speakers include:

“If we can give hope to one person battling cancer or make someone feel beautiful or special, our mission is complete,” said Hirata. “one person at a time, one hope at a time. I’m involved with Hearts with Hope because it tears me up when I meet someone who loses hope in their battle with cancer. I’ve met women and men who give up their battle very early in treatment because they have no hope within themselves for recovery. They think, ‘How can I battle this when so many people with so much more can’t?’ This is heartbreaking. My mission is to spread love, happiness and hope to one person at a time.

There's worthy causes, and then there's worthy causes. About seven months ago, JoAn Niceley, a Long Beach-based stylist who operates JoAn's Hair Studio, received two visitors at her shop. Sisters, actually. Both cancer survivors. The first was there to take advantage of the Pink Heart Fund, a program Nicely founded several years ago to help female cancer victims acquire wigs. The second was simply accompanying her sister. "She asked if I knew anybody who helped with, or gave away, breast prosthesis. I referred her to the American Cancer Society, but she'd had trouble getting her size," said Niceley, 48, who is also a cancer survivor. "I happened to have her size in the shop, and when I saw the one she was wearing, it just broke my heart. It was eight years old, held together with duct tape. And that's when I decided to push forward with the Pink Heart Fund, make it non-profit, and not only do wigs for women who can't afford it but also provide breast prosthesis." From there sprang the concept of the Hearts of Hope Cancer Awareness Music Festival, a fundraiser from noon-8 p.m. Sunday at The Shed, a popular barbecue and music joint on Mississippi 57 in Jackson County. "It's all about giving. The reason we're doing this is to raise money for the Pink Heart Fund," said Niceley.

Organized by Niceley and four other local women, including Michelle Hirata, South Mississippi singer Rochelle Harper, and Brooke and Linda Orrison, co-owners of The Shed, the festival will feature vendors, cancer survivor speakers, food and beverages, and music by bands such as Fort Bayou Slim, Tree Logic and the MuleSkinners. Harper will also perform (backed up by a group of cancer survivors), and unveil a new song. "A portion of the proceeds from both the vendors and food and beverage sales, and a dollar from every album Rochelle sells, will go to the Pink Heart Fund," said Niceley. There will also be a silent auction, and a live auction featuring artwork by three very special contributors. "Three children, ages 2, 5 and 14-years-old, that were helped by the Pink Heart Fund, have made small pieces of art to be auctioned off," said Niceley. "The 2-year-old and the 5-year-old are still undergoing treatment, and the 14-year-old is in remission." Admission is free. For more info, log on to www.fatthumboriginals.com. (P.S. - Niceley is requesting that readers who happen to have a spare wig or prostheses that may, say, be the wrong size, please either donate it to the American Cancer Society or bring it to the festival and donate it to the Pink Heart Fund. Thank you.)

When Courtney Clark met Tanae Ladner for the first time, Tanae was wearing Courtney's hair. They smiled at each other in that secret language of kids.

The explanation is simple. Twelve-year-old Tanae is undergoing chemotherapy for the sixth time and has lost most of her own hair. Seven-year-old Courtney was the first to donate to the Pink Heart Fund's Pony Tail Club and her foot-long hair was used in a wig for Tanae, who lives in Pass Christian. "My friends kept asking me why I cut my hair and I told them, 'I gave it to a kid with cancer,'" said shorter-haired Courtney, a Long Beach second-grader.

The cutting came in May and since then the club has received a dozen pony tails, a minimum of 6 inches each. Hair donations are definitely a case of the haves helping the have-nots. "Losing your hair is more traumatic than most people think, especially for a child," said JoAn Niceley, founder of the Pink Heart Fund created just after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to help storm-beleaguered cancer patients of all ages with breast prosthesis and wigs.

"We don't have to do the cutting. We're hoping other hair stylists will send us hair."

The Pony Tail Club mission: To return a good self-image to children with hair loss by providing wigs for the financially disadvantaged. Even those with insurance will get help with complicated filing procedures.

The most recent donor to the club is Delaney Moran of Biloxi. The souvenir of her doing the good deed is a funny-faced pink squeeze ball from which springs a few strands of her long hair and her new short hair for comparison. After the cutting, Delaney walked around JoAn Niceley's Hair Studio in Long Beach, holding the pink ball like a trophy.

Tanae's own sister, Tareka, forfeited 12 inches of hair for the cancer cause, giving hope to club founders that the donation idea will expand like a big hair day.

The Pony Tail Club and its umbrella Pink Heart Funds are grassroots Mississippi Coast efforts by Niceley, a hair stylist and a cancer survivor who is joined by others touched by the disease.

Niceley said she hopes the hair club will make it easier for children to get natural hair wigs in six to 10 days, maybe even with hair donated by friends and family. If in a hurry, a synthetic wig can be ordered overnight and Niceley is trained to fit and alter wigs. As for the charge, that will depend on insurance and the family's ability to pay.

Niceley doesn't see this local effort as competition for successful national programs. One of the best-known, Locks of Love, is also geared for children and spokeswoman Lauren Kukkamaa said LOL offers natural hair prothesis for a permanent hair loss from burns or a condition called alopecia areata, and another program for synthetic wigs for those undergoing cancer treatment and whose hair will grow back.

Niceley can't predict how big or how far the Pony Tail Club will stretch, but she believes it to be vital to her personal mission to help cancer patients feel good about themselves. She knows firsthand how it helps through the tough days of debilitating treatments.

Anyone who meets Niceley recognizes her passion to help and comfort others, but her time and energy are not bottomless. That's why her friendship with Michelle Hirata is a meeting of the minds.

After watching her mom and eight other family members die from cancer, the Ocean Springs textile artist designed a hat so soft it doesn't irritate the tender heads of chemotherapy patients. Each is custom-made by crochet and knitting techniques and either sold or donated through Hirata's company, Fat Thumbs Originals.

Not surprisingly, Hirata became vice president of the Pink Heart Fund and jumped feet first into promoting PHF fundraisers. Those include the cookbook "Appetite for Living: Pink Ribbon Recipes" and a May "Hearts with Hope" event that brought in $6,000 and inspired 18 men and women to cut their hair.

A third woman, Rochelle Harper, who lost a grandmother to cancer, enters the Pink Heart picture, lending her talents as a Coast music mainstay. Inspired by a poem Hirata wrote about her mother's death, she wrote and recorded "The Butterfly Song" and is designating proceeds to the Pink Heart Funds.

Harper also wrote a song about the new Pony Tail Club, suggesting folks "Giddy up on over to the Pony Tail Club. Click your heels and clip your tails."

Cancer Awareness Fest Features Hats, Songs By Terry Dickson News Editor, Ocean Springs Record

A local recording artist will debut her new single as part of a new festival designed to heighten cancer awareness. The First Annual Hearts with Hope Cancer Awareness Festival will be held May 6 from noon to 8 p.m. at The Shed on Hwy 57 in Ocean Springs. Admission to the event, sponsored by Fat Thumb Originals and the Pink Heart Fund, is free. Bands slated to perform include Rochelle Harper Band, Fort Bayou Slim, Tree Logic and The Muleskinners "Swampbilly." Harper penned the festival's theme song, "What Will You Give (the Butterfly Song)" and will perform the song during the festival, accompanied by a 30 person church choir. The song will also be turned into a video. "The universe has a pulse and a purpose and is always looking for people open to her messages," said Harper. "The Butterfly Song represents a message put into motion long before those of us listening to this song ever even knew it. Now that we hear it, let's spread the kindness, share the love and bring hope to one another. Let's live like the Butterfly: What Will You Give?" Harper said the inspiration for the song came from her grandmother. "My grandmother, Angelina Rigoli, was going to pass away in 2000. The family had three weeks to say goodbye," said Harper. "Being that she was my best friend and my go-to person when I had 'life issues' I had tow questions for her: Who am I going to call when I have a question? To which Angelina responded, 'listen to your heart." When Harper lamented over the fact that she would no longer be able to see her grandmother, Rigoli responded, "Don't worry, I'm coming back as a butterfly." "I still miss her so much," said Harper. Six years later, Harper met Michele Hirata, owner of Fat Thumb Originals. Hirata, whose mother died of cancer, sells colorful and comfortable chemo beanies, scarves and other accessories for people battling cancer. "(Michele) shared with me a poem prefacing the sharing with, 'I do not write poetry'. Michele Had lost her mother to cancer and now her mother's sister was dying of cancer," said Harper. "Michele was moved to the point of writing and insisted that this poem was meant for me to write a song that was going to raise millions of dollars for cancer patients. "Within her poem was one single line that spoke directly to me and told me that I was going to write a song, the line was, "butterflies, fly". I knew that line was my grandmother reaching out to me. I did not know that that line would lead to 'The Butterfly Song' and inspire an entire event to raise money for the Pink Heart Fund, a fund that distributes monies to cancer patients on the Mississippi Gulf Coast." Out of the song came the idea for the festival. "While doing pre-production recording at my musical partner's studio, Gary Bozwell, it came to me that a festival should be put on and The Shed was the perfect place," said Harper. "Linda Orrison is a kindred spirit of love. I knew she would be completely into helping others, and of course she was and so was Brooke, co-owner of The Shed and daughter of Linda. If Michele hadn't of met JoAn Niceley, who has the Pink Heart Fund, we wouldn't of had a purpose to put on such an event. The Mississippi Legislature recently passed a bill in her name. The Hearts with Hope Cancer Awareness Festival at The Shed was born through the Butterfly song; through Michele writing this poem; through my grandmother leaving me with the comfort of being able to see her in any butterfly and of course, ultimately, through God. Colorful beanies Hirata is using her colorful chemo beanies as a way of promoting the festival. Highway 90 motorists may notice that the famous Alberti's gorilla, which beckons diners into the popular Italian restaurant, is wearing one of Hirata's beanies. "I wanted to promote Hearts with Hope in a fun, uplifting way and involve my community. It's so important for me to share my secret of happiness with others, it's all about what you give, really," said Hirata. "By choosing the Alberti's gorilla, the whole community is relating to an icon they grew up with and love. Questions are asked and in a fun way, Hearts with Hope is shared. By the way, the gorilla loves her Fat Thumb Chemo hat and has a big Heart with Hope." Hirata said the owner of Alberti's told her that she would dedicate the hat on her gorilla "to all the beautiful customers that had lost their life to cancer over the last 37 years." Between now and festival time, Hirata said she will "be hitting some more icons around town with a little Fat Thumb love (hat) to raise awareness about Hearts with Hope." "I hope all store owners are as cooperative and giving as Alberti's," she added. Raising awareness Hirata said the festival will also feature courageous cancer survivors who will share their inspirational stories. Scheduled speakers include: • Briana Cuevas, 14, who battled Hodgkin's leukemia cancer as a child. • Glenda Collins, a breast cancer survivor of 17 years who will speak on hope. • Lisa Russell survived three types of cancer, almost died and never gave up. Russell graded papers at home from her bed and taught out of a recliner at school. • JoAn Niceley, a four-year breast cancer survivor, will speak on the Pink Heart Fund that helps women and children get wigs with limited funds and the American Cancer Society's Look Good…Feel Better program. There will also be many informational booths at the festival. "If we can give hope to one person battling cancer or make someone feel beautiful or special, our mission is complete," said Hirata. "one person at a time, one hope at a time. I'm involved with Hearts with Hope because it tears me up when I meet someone who loses hope in their battle with cancer. I've met women and men who give up their battle very early in treatment because they have no hope within themselves for recovery. They think, 'How can I battle this when so many people with so much more can't?' This is heartbreaking. My mission is to spread love, happiness and hope to one person at a time."

As she churns out colorful and comfortable chemo beanies, scarves and other accessories, her work reflects not only a passion, but a product that has become her trademark.

Having devised a unique method of knitting and crocheting with strips of T-shirt fabric, Hirata is the founder of Fat Thumb Originals, a home-based business that grew from her desire to make a positive difference for others after her mother died from breast cancer.

The concept that started it all – her chemo beanies – are not sold, but given away – to those with cancer, to hospitals and to various charities. Hirata's mother would have liked that.

"She fought this horrible disease for 17 years with radiation and chemotherapy," said Hirata, adding that her mother's biggest battle through the cancer was losing her hair and not feeling comfortable wearing wigs and other head coverings.

"After Mom died, I needed something to do to express myself," she said. "In September 2003, my mother-in-law taught me to crochet. I then taught myself to knit."

"Six months later, at 2 a.m. on a chilly winter night, I finished my first T-shirt chemo hat and knew I had something special," she said.

"I donate about four dozen hats a month," she said. "People call, tell me their story, and I mail them a hat. The response was enormous and unanimous," she said. "These hats became very popular."

Hirata designs her hats to be comfortable by cutting the T-shirt fabric a specific way to avoid excessive knots in the material.

"Knots are very uncomfortable for those going through chemo and can cause blistering," she said. "Due to the cutting design, these fun little tabs emerged on the hat.

"After carefully calculating each specific item's pattern, I was able to distribute these tabs all over and not on one side or the other. Each chemo beanie has only one knot, making it really comfortable to sleep in. Because it's knitted, it stays put on the most restless of sleepers. They are made so that they can be washed weekly. The more you wash them, the softer they get."

The name of Hirata's company is as original as each piece and reflects another trying stage of her life.

"I actually have two really fat thumbs," she said. "People used to tease me about them my whole life. Sometimes it's hard being different, but sometimes it's fantastic. Sometimes it makes you beautiful and strong."

In transforming anguish over her mother's death into hope for others, Hirata has also developed a popular business of selling other hand-made pieces.

"I sell hats, purses and other accessories at local art shows to make up for the cost of the free hats," she said, adding that she had a tremendous response from customers during the recent Peter Anderson Memorial Arts, Crafts and Food Festival. She will also be selling her creations in Party Girls on Washington Avenue in downtown Ocean Springs.

"It's been a great, great time here in Ocean Springs," said Hirata, a resident for one and one-half years. "I didn't know it was a big artist community."

As she works from her home studio, Hirata is always mindful of the person who inspired her. A cherished photo of her mother – along with a lava lamp, a symbol of her mother's era – watch over her from their high points on a shelf.

"I've always loved that picture. She always hated it," Hirata said. "It was her senior portrait. I thought she looked like Doris Day. She had three lava lamps. She was a huge hippie."

As she continues to give away her chemo beanies, Hirata is also seeing her business grow.

"My orders are far exceeding my production," she said, adding that she is considering ways to expand, one of which involves making her own yarns to sell. "This is a knitters' society."

She is also busy selling her products online at http://www.fatthumboriginals.com. Among the most popular are her "polybag" purses, made with vintage polyester fabric.

"My first purses were knitted," she said, adding that she has modified them over time. Sturdy and washable, each is distinct and accented with scarves, pins or other items. "What takes so long is finding the scarves and finishing the handles."

"I absolutely love what I do," she said. "Everyone should try and make a difference."

"I think she'd be overwhelmed," she said. "It brings tears to my eyes for people to say that she'd be proud of me. I know she'd wear a hat."

Hats Even a Hat-Hater Can Love/Lifetime TV

We want to thank our readers so much for their e-mails and kind words, and we apologize that we haven't been able to feature every excellent suggestion sent to us.

But this post is about an extraordinary company started by one of our readers, Michele Hirata, owner of Fat Thumb Originals. Michele lost her mother to breast cancer three years ago; her mom never liked wearing hats or wigs, until Michele made her one in her own unique way. Now Michele makes soft knit hats of T-shirt cloth and yarn that are comfortable even for sleeping, and are especially geared toward patients of hair-loss illnesses. Michele actually donates about four dozen hats a month. "People call, tell me their story and I mail them a hat," she says. Michele also donates free Chemo Beanies to cancer patients.

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Cancer Awareness Fest Features Hats, Songs By Terry Dickson News Editor, Ocean Springs Record

Hats Even a Hat-Hater Can Love/Lifetime TV