SEQUIM –– Feathers, polka dots and even birdhouses sat atop elaborate hats as cancer survivors, their friends and family talked as they sipped from delicate teacups at the 16th annual Mad Hatter’s Tea.
Jan Kummet, chairwoman of Friday’s ceremonies at the SunLand Golf & Country Club, led the program in which some 200 women, with a few men helping the cause, gathered to share their experiences of battling breast cancer.
‘Bigger and closer’
“It’s been a wonderful gathering that just seems to get bigger and closer every year,” Kummet said.
The elaborate tea service and ornate hats are a way for survivors and families of those stricken by breast cancer to come together in a light-hearted supportive setting.
The tea also raises money for several cancer support and prevention organizations in the area.
Kummet and friends began the Mad Hatter’s Tea in 1998.
They decided to don hats in support of their friend Jan Chatfield, who wore hats to mask her hair loss while undergoing chemotherapy.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Joe Smillie can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or at jsmillie@peninsuladailynews.com.
