SCARF IT UP FOR WOMEN'S CANCERS

September and October are Ovarian Cancer and Breast Cancer Awareness Months. As most of you know, I come from 3 generations of breast cancer survivors. I am a "previvor," having had a prophylactic double mastectomy upon being told that I had an 85 percent chance of getting the disease. About 7 years ago, I developed a disease called Alopecia Universalis, an autoimmune disease that causes total hair loss. Alopecia is not life threatening but is a disease of emotions. We live in an appearance-driven society where a woman's bald head is a physical mark of illness. When women lose their hair, they also lose their ability to relate to other women because they feel they can no longer engage in conversations or activities that have anything to do with appearance or fashion.

Women without hair need to know that they can still be fashionable. They need to know that hiding is neither the only nor the best option - that with the help of a simple yet elegant accessory such as a fashionable head scarf, they can step out into the world feeling confident and beautiful. Women who lose their hair to chemo or any medical hair loss want to wear a fashion "accessory" - not a medical necessity. They want to make a fashion statement, not a "cancer" statement.

On Sunday September 27th, 2009, I am joining forces with Kelly Augustyniak, owner of Kelietza , an upscale women's boutique in Sarasota, to host a benefit fashion show. Kelly's commitment to helping women find the perfect harmony of style and comfort by offering classic and one-of-a-kind fashions and her desire to give back to the community is a perfect complement to 4Women.com. My mission is to offer fashionable headwear for women with medical hair loss so that women can rise above the emotional upheaval of hair loss in a stylish and dignified manner. We hope our collaborative efforts will help close the gap between the fashion world and that of medical headwear. We have been reaching out to top fashion designers to help us in our efforts by donating beautiful fabrics to be worn as head scarves that complement Kelietza fashions. We will auction these "one of a kind" scarves at this event. Proceeds from this event will fund a Scarf Bank at Sarasota Memorial Hospital , which will provide fashionable headwear to female cancer patients who are in need of financial assistance.

Join us in our efforts to make this event a lasting gift to women by making fashionable headwear available to them through the new Scarf Bank at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

EVENING EVENTS:
*Fashion Show with fashions by KELIETZA and Head Scarves from 4Women.com with fabrics donated from top fashion designers.
*A live performance of ballet dancers and classical musicians from the Sarasota Orchestra by Epic Ensemble
*Gaming tables
*Cocktails & Hors d'oeuvres
*Auction, and more!