Happy Hatters: Students don hats for good cause; help fellow student who has cancer

DAYTON - On the first day of school, 7-year-old AnnMarie De Pasquale was taunted by some of her classmates.

"Some kids said I looked like a boy," she recalled. "One boy said I looked like I'm poor."

But she and her twin sister, Faith, explained the situation.

"I tell them I have cancer," AnnMarie said. And, Faith added, their classmates' attitudes have begun to change.

"A lot of kids say nice things," Faith said. "They say her hair looks nice."

On Thursday, nearly the whole school joined in an effort to raise money for the Heavenly Hats organization, which provides hats for children who have lost their hair to chemotherapy. AnnMarie recently received a package of seven hats and a purple, stuffed bear from the nonprofit organization founded by a Wisconsin boy when he was 10 years old.

For the fundraiser, students at Sutro Elementary School in Dayton paid $1 to wear a hat to school. In the afternoon, the students paraded around the block.

"It's to help kids with cancer," said Danielle Diez, 6. "We want to be nice, and we want to make everybody happy."

AnnMarie's mom, Jill, said she is grateful for the school's support. Until this year, she had home schooled her four children, which include Malik, 14, and Dave, 5, in addition to the girls.

But doctors warned that AnnMarie could lose some skills, and Jill wanted her to be around professionals who could recognize any problems.

After the teasing the first day, AnnMarie's teacher and principal sat down with

Jill to talk about the best way to handle it.

"They've been really great," Jill said.

AnnMarie was first diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma at 4 when Jill discovered a lump while rubbing her daughter's belly.

The children had just lost an aunt and grandfather to cancer when Jill found the lump.

"I knew what it was right away," Jill said. "We were definitely devastated for her."

After the first round of treatment, AnnMarie was clear of the cancer for a year and a half. But in May 2008, it returned.

Jill and her husband, Tony, spent all of last year driving to Sacramento once or twice a week, leaving the boys with family and friends.

Now, they take her one to two times every three months to the Cancer Center at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center.

"They hit her harder and longer the second time," Jill said. "It's harder for all of us just because all your old emotions come back."

Tony's mother, Barbara, along with other family members, is there to help take care of the children during AnnMarie's treatments or when they have to rush to the hospital in the middle of the night.

At times, she said, it can be heartbreaking.

"People don't realize the toll it takes on a family to the point you just sit down and cry."

Jill said she breaks it down by days, both good and bad.

"Today's a good day," she said.

And they try to prepare for the bad.

Before starting school, the family had a conversation about possible reactions from other students.

"We know people can be ignorant because they don't know anything about it," Jill said. "You can't get mad if they don't know."

By now, AnnMarie has adjusted to the daily routine of school - and joins the general consensus.

"I like going to school because we get to have recess time," she said.

To learn more about Heavenly Hats, go to www.heavenlyhats.com.