San Jose Cancer Patient's Knitted Giants 'Hair' Selfie Goes Viral
SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) -- A San Jose grandmother who's a big San Francisco Giants fan has suddenly developed her own fan base not just because of her passion for the team, but also her whimsical approach to having cancer.
Rosemary Capitolo has been battling ovarian cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. As a result she lost her hair.
She's gotten a lift from her beloved San Francisco Giants being in the World Series. As an avid knitter, she decided she would knit herself some orange hair.
The San Francisco native combined it with a Giants cap and documented her new look with a selfie. "So I put the thing on, had my sunglasses on and ready to leave the house and I take a selfie and then I posted it and that was kind of it," Capitolo said.
Or so she thought. Her granddaughter reposted the photo and it's been liked, favorited and shared tens of thousands of times.
"I think what people are picking up on is an attitude," said Capitolo. "An attitude that you can keep living with cancer. You do what the doctors tell you and then wake up each day, love your family and live.
"It's like knitting. It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful," she said.
What Capitolo never expected to be a social media star. Her grandson's in awe of her celebrity status.
If there was one thing she hopes her celebrity status brings her … is tickets to Friday night's World Series Game 3 at AT&T Park. The Giants have dedicated that game to advancing the fight against cancer.