Wool can’t cure cancer.

Acrylic will never control white blood cells.

But
a fluffy pink scarf can soothe the soul and ease the mind and coax a
smile, and every once in a while that’s just as good as chemotherapy
and radiation.

A Mandan woman has seen those smiles and felt the
love a little random act of kindness can generate. Tara Lacher has made
it her mission to reach out, one flowing scarf at a time, to local
women who have been diagnosed with cancer. As fast as she can, Lacher
is knitting pink scarves to donate to women who could use a little
sunshine in their lives.

She’s gone to support-group meetings
and met a lot of women who have cancer. It’s surprising, she said, how
many of them there are. Lacher also wants to make a scarf for each
person she reads about in the paper who has cancer. She’s made one for
Anna Hohbein, who was 70, and Amber DesRoches, who was 14. Cancer
affects everyone. Lacher’s needles can’t fly fast enough.

She started in November as kind of an accident.

Lacher
is a consultant for Mary Kay cosmetics, which last fall had a promotion
where the hostess of a Mary Kay party was given a pink wrap to help
generate awareness of breast cancer. A portion of the company’s
proceeds from the promotional sales went to its charitable foundation,
which funnels money to women affected by cancer or domestic violence.