Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.
Issue link: https://loumag.epubxp.com/i/174531
Special Advertising Section Hope Scarves Shares Scarves, Stories of Hope with Women Facing Cancer L ara MacGregor was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 30, seven months pregnant with her second son. A woman she never met, a friend of a friend, sent her a package. Inside were beautiful scarves the woman wore throughout her own battle with cancer along with a note that read: "You can do this." The scarves were both practical and inspiring. Knowing someone else had worn the scarves and beat cancer helped Lara believe she could do it, too. Not long after Lara fnished treatment, she went to a Young Survival Coalition Conference. Lara packed several scarves in hopes that she could pass them along to another woman in treatment. There, Lara met Roberta and they laughed together as Lara showed her the different ways to wear a scarf. Upon the completion of her treatment, Roberta sent the scarves back to Lara who had recently moved to Louisville and already befriended a woman named Brooke who was just beginning treatment. Lara brought over a scarf to Brooke's house one night and they talked — with tears and laughter — about what it was like to lose your hair. This whole time Lara couldn't stop thinking about the amazing journey the scarves were on. Hope Scarves was created to capture the stories of courageous women and encourage others by passing along scarves and stories of hope. Lara hopes that when each woman wraps a Hope Scarf around her head she feels the strength and determination of the women who wore it before her. 6 2013 Breast Health Section jeweler, Coquettish Designs, to create one-ofa-kind bracelets by weaving the various colors and textures of scarf fabric between chunky gold chain. Each bracelet, tied with a hope charm, sells for $30 and supports one Hope Scarf. Today Lara MacGregor is healthy and enjoying all the fun of raising two energetic boys with her husband Jason. The baby Lara was pregnant with when diagnosed is a Sarah Chandler with her kids sporting Hope Scarves healthy, enthusiastic fve year old. Lara believes starting Hope Scarves is a meaningful way to pass along the love and encouragement she received when she was going through cancer. She explains: "The strength of Hope Scarves comes from the stories." To learn more and to request or donate a scarf, visit hopescarves.org. Requested and gifted scarves in the process of delivery to their future owners! Photos by Adele Reding Lara MacGregor, Hope Scarves A woman battling cancer can request a Hope Scarf for free by visiting hopescarves.org. She will be sent a scarf along with the stories of the women who wore it before her. When she is fnished using the scarf, she can add her story to the scarf and send it back to Hope Scarves. It will be professionally cleaned and sent out to another woman. A woman who has completed treatment with scarves of her own can also share her story and pictures on hopescarves.org. She can send her scarves to Hope Scarves and they will be professionally cleaned, linked to her story and sent to another woman. A Hope Scarf can be ordered for someone as a gift. The scarf is sent with its stories wrapped in a "happy" package complete with a message from the sender. Hope Scarves kindly requests donations to be made in honor of the recipient, although this is not required. Donations directly support the mission of Hope Scarves and are tax deductible. Hope Scarves also accepts donations of scarves that do not have stories or were not used during medical treatment. You can make a donation of a scarf in honor of or in memory of a loved one. Or, simply donate a scarf to start a new journey. All sizes and shapes of scarves are gladly accepted. The ideal size for a Hope Scarf is greater than 30" and square. Scarves that aren't ideally sized and shaped become Hope Bracelets. Hope Scarves worked with local