Kathy DeJoseph’s life changed when she received her lung cancer diagnosis. After surviving the disease with the help and expertise of Wellstar Kennestone’s STAT Clinic, she decided to begin making a difference for other patients through her new volunteer charity, Happy Caps.

There’s no cap on giving back for twelve-year lung cancer survivor Kathy DeJoseph. It was her first day getting chemotherapy when a woman approached Kathy and gifted her a knitted cap in appreciation for her kindness during her husband’s cancer treatment. That simple act of gratitude inspired Kathy—and after completing treatment for her own cancer diagnosis, she decided to pay it forward by knitting caps for patients also undergoing chemotherapy and cancer treatments.

This passion project became a purpose project for Kathy as she soon found herself recruiting others who knit from across the nation. Knitters have joined from Pennsylvania to Michigan and Alabama to right here in Georgia to help Kathy’s Happy Caps thrive.

Fostering meaningful connections within the Wellstar community is part of the charge for the group of volunteers, whose workshop is located at a Wellstar facility in Cobb County. The volunteers work multiple days a week to hand-knit and package caps donated to cancer patients at metro Atlanta oncology facilities, starting with the Wellstar Health System Cancer Centers.

Bill Mayfield, Kathy’s cancer doctor, said Wellstar patients noticed her generous spirit before she started Happy Caps. Kathy “donated thousands of hours to the clinic and to reassuring cancer patients about their journey,” said Dr. Mayfield. Candice Saunders, our Wellstar president and CEO, agrees with Dr. Mayfield’s high regard for Kathy. “Kathy is such an inspiration,” Candice said. “The compassionate work she and the ‘Happy Caps’ volunteers do to bring comfort and cheerfulness to cancer patients is truly making a difference.”

For the full article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, click here.