Holly Avidan could have let her cancer diagnosis stop her world. Instead, she chose for it to be a catalyst for artistic creativity, healing and resilience.
When Avidan was diagnosed with Stage 3 follicular lymphoma in 2023, Dr. Gregory Harris, her oncologist at the Harbin Clinic Cancer Center, told her the treatments would result in hair loss. She had planned to wear a wig, but her hair loss came more quickly than she expected. It was then that she decided to shave her head. To keep her spirits up, Avidan began crocheting hats for herself, but not just any hats. Avidan’s hats are works of heart: large, intricate and filled with personality.
She wore one of her creations to her first chemotherapy appointment after shaving her head. It was autumn, and Halloween was approaching. Her choice? A wide-brimmed, pointy-ended witch’s hat. Patients, visitors and caregivers alike loved it.
When you walk into a cancer center, you are faced with a room full of people who are tired and not happy to be there,” Avidan said. “But when I walked in with my hat on, the room lit up with smiles. It made me feel good to bring joy to someone else’s life, and I thought I better make a hat for every chemotherapy treatment from there on out.”
Once her hats began to make a regular appearance, she would arrive early for appointments to chat with people who had questions about her artwork.
To call her creations hats does not do them justice. Avidan crochets whimsical, brightly colored costumes that often cover her head, neck and shoulders, and she sometimes dressed from head-to-toe to match her designs.
Her fantastical creations soon became a source of positivity for her fellow cancer warriors, physicians and staff at the Cancer Center. Avidan’s medical care team still talks about the extraordinary ways she brightened the lives of others while navigating her own treatment.
I circled Holly’s appointment on my calendar, knowing that she would energize the entire clinic,” Dr. Harris said. “The staff knew when she was coming and could not wait to see her. Her art always made my day. She stayed so positive throughout her treatment, and it made such a difference.
Cancer is a physical and emotional challenge. I always tell patients to stay active, to eat as clean as possible and to stay positive, and they will do better. She exemplified that every week.”
The needle work helped Avidan follow her doctor’s advice. Working on her creations kept her mind busy when she could no longer work, boosted her mood and provided a sense of calm when she needed it most, she said.
I took a lot of life for granted before,” Avidan recalled. “When I found out I had cancer I was devastated. The future was uncertain, and chemo sounded terrible. But I soon realized that if I sat there dwelling on what was going on, I wasn’t going to feel good.”
She now offers that realization as encouragement to others facing a difficult diagnosis.
If you have something you can do that you love, things won’t bother you as much, she said. “Keep your mind busy.”
Now, with cancer in the rear-view mirror, Avidan has continued to explore her crochet creativity, even crocheting her own wedding dress.
"It was a difficult season,” Avidan admitted, “but I had the best experience I could have had at the Cancer Center. The nurses and doctors are great listeners and answer questions at all hours. I’ll never forget how proud I was when the nurses told me they were happy I was getting better, but they would miss seeing me and the hats.”
