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Her Lost Crowns help restore cancer patients' dignity By Merlene Davis HERALD-LEADER COLUMNIST I hadn't thought of it before, but what Sophia Rucker Ellis does for some cancer patients makes perfect sense. Ellis takes a selection of wigs to the homes of cancer patients so they can try them on in privacy. "Some of my clients just don't like going out," she said. Ellis, 40, who had already started a business selling plus-size clothing and hats at home parties or fashion shows, added a wig line to give a degree of dignity to women at a time their self-image is low. "A friend of mine, Sherry Sayles, passed away in 2002," Ellis said. "She was an associate vice president of academic affairs at Kentucky State (University), and she was the type of person everyone loved. I wanted to do something in memory of her." So when another friend who was undergoing breast cancer treatments needed a wig, Ellis went to the store and brought home five for her to try. Lost Crowns was founded that day. "She has always had compassion toward older people," said Linda Hudson, Ellis's mother. "She was close to her granny, who died of lung cancer. And her stepfather died of cancer. She just said she'd like to do something dealing with cancer patients." In addition to the loss of hair, the name Lost stands for the first letters of her name as well as her mother's, grandmother's and daughter's names. "I believe every name should have a special meaning and hold something dear to you," Ellis said. "The reason I love hats is because of my grandmother, Ophelia Rucker; the reason for my being is because of Linda Hudson, my mother; and the one who made me complete is my daughter, Tabitha. So with that being said, that is how I came up with the name Lost Crowns." Born and reared in Lawrenceburg, Ellis started working for Texas Instruments in Versailles after graduating from high school and worked there for 19 years. In the interim, she married, gave birth to her daughter, Tabitha Lynn, and divorced. To help make ends meet, she started a catering business, Ophelia's Sweet Treats, named for her grandmother who had taught her to bake. But a shoulder operation ended that in 2000. In 2001, when the Texas Instruments plant closed, she started selling clothing and hats in homes. By then, she had earned an associate degree in business from KSU and a bachelor's degree in organizational management from Midway College. She's working on her master's degree in public administration while employed in that capacity at KSU. "My mother was a single mother, and my grandmother raised her by herself," Ellis said. "They never asked anybody for anything, and they always said if you want something, you work for it. "Working at Texas Instruments or working at K State is not enough for me. I just wanted to make a little extra money." And a little is right. "When she first started, she was giving the wigs away," said friend Pamela Parks. "I make enough to pay my rent and order more supplies," Ellis said, laughing. "I just like doing it." In addition to wigs, Ellis also fits clients with hats or scarves. Her business is listed on the American Cancer Society Web site -- www.cancer.org. She has about 10 clients who are recovering from cancer and who have about 40 wigs among them. "If they call me before (hair loss), I can see what their real hair looks like and match it," she said. "Or they can call me afterward and just go totally different -- different color and different length and everything." She said the wigs, made by Beverly Johnson and suited for all races, range in price from $35 to $70. The prices of the clothing and hats vary.  Lost Crowns carries men, women, and children dress and formal wear. Still, Lost Crowns is more than a business for Ellis, who gets attached to her clients. "I call them up and check on them," she said. "I had one to die about six months ago, and that is hard." It takes a special person to do that kind of work.

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