When they saw firsthand the difficulties a young lady battling cancer encountered to receive a wig, Jackie and Counte Cooley, and Judy and Scotty Piotrowski knew they had to do something to help her.

Judy, who battled multiple occurrences of breast cancer and lost all of her hair four times, understood all too well what the young lady was going through. With support from friends and family, Jackie, Counte, Judy and Scotty purchased the wig for the young cancer patient — as she lost her hair due to treatments. It was the start of gifting many wigs to come.

Not too long after, Jackie, Counte, Scotty, and Judy founded For Her Glory. The nonprofit organization supports cancer patients, like co-founder Judy, who spent nine years battling breast cancer. Before Judy passed away in late 2004, the For Her Glory organization was established and has since helped more than 1,200 cancer patients.

For 15 years, For Her Glory has helped many cancer patients get essential needs when health insurance or personal financial restraints may fall short. The organization provides items such as wigs, nutritional supplements, compression garments, transportation, and other needs for cancer patients in Northeast Georgia.

“Once we learned about how much need is there, it was a no brainer,” said Jackie, co-founder of For Her Glory. “And the need keeps growing.”

To reach patients that need assistance, For Her Glory works closely with the Cancer Nurse Navigators at Northeast Georgia Medical Center. Cancer Nurse Navigators walk beside patients and help them navigate the appointments, tests and assistance options available to them.

“Many times, Cancer Nurse Navigators are our most ardent communicators, as they are the ones who tend to spend the most time with patients,” Jackie explains. “This partnership has helped us grow more than we could have imagined, as the Navigators are able to fully understand the needs of each patient and reach out to us for help.”

The Jackson EMC Foundation recently awarded a $15,000 grant to For Her Glory to provide cancer patients in Banks, Barrow, Franklin, Hall, Jackson and Lumpkin counties with items that are not covered by insurance such as wigs, bras, compression sleeves and gloves. Since 2006, For Her Glory has received $85,000 in grant funds from the Jackson EMC Foundation.

“This grant is vitally important to this organization and those we serve. Because of the grant, we are able to serve more cancer patients and [fulfill] the needs they have,” Jackie said. “It’s such a blessing to be able to serve more [patients] along this battle and help soften it for them.”

For more information about For Her Glory, visit ForHerGlory.org.