After the death of Rev. Dr. Shane Brue in 2007, friends who had been involved with his courageous fight with colon cancer set up Shane Brue Cancer Ministries. The HATS program is the first program being offered by the group.

HATS is a joint venture of the American Cancer Society, First United Methodist Church and Warren Chiropractic Center. Its goal is to provide information, resources and support to those who have dealt with cancer in the past, those currently coping with cancer and to caregivers and family of cancer patients.

The HATS room provides free hats, wigs, and head coverings to be checked out by those dealing with hair loss due to cancer treatment. A small lending library of cancer-related books will also be available there. Help can be secured for ostomy supplies and durable medical equipment free of charge for those in need of them.

There are no set hours for the facility; those wishing to use the service may call Marcie Lykken at 267-2915 or “the HATS lady” at Warren Chiropractic.

“Everyone with cancer and those around them know that looking better makes the person feel better,” said the spearhead of the new program.

Lykken has been working with American Cancer Society Community Manager-Health Initiatives Kim Sheeran for several months to bring about the ministry, which is unique to Big Spring. She has an advisory board which includes Paula Farquhar, Kim Sheeran, Beverly Warren, Jill Brue, Diane Murphy, Walt Shipman, Agustin Ypina and herself. Volunteers who will man the room are Connie Schooler, Valerie Cervantes, Dorothy Stripling, Ann Duncan, Glenda Arnold, Allene Pearce, Barbara Donelson and Patty Schulle.

Sheeran and Lykken are currently working toward adding the first West Texas “Look Good…Feel Better” program, which provides a free make-up kit and teaches beauty techniques to cancer patients to help them combat the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment.

Six local cosmetologists have already volunteered to work with the program, but they must go through ACS training before beginning the service. Those volunteers are Kay Baily, Devin Ellis, Cathy Caudill, Ann Townsend, Wanda Hendrickson and Candy Parrish. Howard College Cosmetology Department, directed by Sandra Hodnett, is voluntarily giving a professional cleaning to all the wigs that are donated.

Donations of hats, wigs, head coverings, cancer-related books, and any items useful to cancer patients will be gladly accepted. The Shane Brue Cancer Ministries will accept monetary donations, which will be used to provide additional materials and resources.