LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – For the family of Kim Heath, seeing the Hats for Hope Fashion Show come together every year is seeing her vision come to life.
“I really wish she would’ve been here to see the first fashion show come to fruition, but knowing that her name is living on and her heart is still there and shown each year, it’s just really special,” said Heath’s daughter, Lindsey Gibson.
Heath was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma in 2017 and went through treatment at the UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center. After battling cancer for six years, she wanted to give back.
Heath created the idea for the fashion show, where cancer survivors could feel like a model for a day and raise money for the cancer center that gave her more precious years at the end of her life.
“She was able to see three grandchildren be born, she was able to see two of her children get married, because of the extra time she was given thanks to the cancer treatments at UofL,” Gibson said.
Heath began planning the first Hats for Hope Fashion Show before her death in 2023. Her family picked up right where she left off, making her dream become a reality.
Now an annual event, all proceeds raised from the fashion show go toward cancer research and the M. Krista Loyd Resource Center, which provides therapeutic services and accessories like wigs, hats, and scarves to cancer patients.
This year, organizers partnered with Woman-Owned Wallet, a small business supporting women-owned businesses in Louisville.
“We’re giving our cancer patients today an opportunity to forget about everything they’re going through, to forget about their cancer diagnosis and their treatment,” said Kara Salsman, UofL Health Interim Vice President for Philanthropy. “They get to have hair and makeup done. We’re having them walk down the runway where their friends and family are also celebrating them.”
The show is now a tribute to others fighting their own battles with the disease, continuing to keep Kim’s memory alive.
“Seeing people that were in the same spot as my mom walking down the runway, it actually makes me really emotional,” Gibson said. “If she could see all of the wonderful things that have come from the idea that she had, she would be ecstatic. She would be really proud I think.”
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