CHESHIRE, Conn. -- While Sandy Centorino does not have a cure for cancer, she found a way to help chemotherapy patients feel better -- cut by cut, stitch by stitch.

"I've always been the type of person that I wanted to do something more and make a difference," Centorino said. "You know, do something special."

So, what is Centorino's "something special"? It's a fleece bandanna known as the CUREchief.

It all started when one of Centorino's close friends, Patty, was diagnosed with cancer in 2000.

"I wanted to support her in anyway that I could," Centorino said. "Patty had gotten to the point in her treatment where she had lost all her hair."

Patty didn't like wigs and didn't like hats, so Centorino's kids came up with a solution.

Centorino recalled her kids asking her, "Why don't we make Patty a kerchief to tie around her head to cheer her up?"

Piles Of Fleece Turn Into CUREchiefs

"I had piles of Polarfleece in the basement because, when I was a younger mother, I had the time to craft the coats and hats and fun little outfits. So, we had fleece," Centorino said.

"People have called it a bandanna or babushka. After six years, we are just starting to make a name for ourselves. We want to be known in Connecticut." - Sandy Centorino CUREchief Foundation Inc.

That fleece turned into CUREchiefs.

"People have called it a bandanna or babushka," Centorino said. "After six years, we are just starting to make a name for ourselves. We want to be known in Connecticut."

This year, Centorino and a team of dedicated volunteers have made more than 80,000 CUREchiefs for cancer patients.

The CUREchief Foundation's mission statement is "Caring people brought together by fabric."

"Our goal is to deliver CUREchiefs to hospitals, camps, Whole in the Wall Gang camp, all over the United States," she said. "We charge nothing, and I never want to charge anything. I make nothing."

Centorino invests about 40 to 60 hours a week of her own time.

Volunteers Help Bring Mission Together With Fabric

"I could not do this by myself," she said. "I couldn't send CUREchiefs out if it wasn't for the volunteers."

Volunteers from the ARC of Meriden-Wallingford, a nonprofit that helps the disabled, help make Message of Hope cards that accompany each CUREchiefs.

"These individuals ... are members from Adult Day Center at Immanuel House and they are very active in the community, and they want to be helping others," ARC representative Mary Ann Caliendos said.

"This is their way of giving back to the community and helping others, and by us doing this, they feel useful and needed and they've touched people's lives," said Charmaine Emond, a recreational therapist at the Hebrew Health Care of West Hartford. "We get paid by hugs and kisses and people saying thank you."

What does cost money, however, is the fabric needed to make the CUREchiefs.

"All of the money and all the funding comes from outside donations, from generous people that send us checks," Centorino said.

An Idea To Keep CUREchiefs Going

Centorino has come up with a charming idea to create her own source of funds.

"It's called Piece of Hope," she explained. "It's a little charm in the shape of a triangle ... for family members of cancer patients."

Centorino said the charms can be worn to show support for cancer patients.

"It ties into our cause, and I think people will be excited about in general because everyone needs hope, no matter who you are," she said.

She said that every $2 collected for the charms will go toward the making of the CUREchiefs.

More Information:

Link: CUREchief Foundation Web site

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