What do you see when you
look in the mirror?
A victim? A statistic? A lost cause? We've got news for you – you're not. You're stronger than you think. No matter what is thrown your way, you have the strength to face it with courage and dignity. You are a TOUGH S.O.B. And that is what you should see when you look in the mirror.
Who We Are
We are a registered charity (#78985 5483 RR0001) that comforts and empowers cancer patients by giving them free TOUGH S.O.B. toques. We do this in two ways:
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1. Through the sale of TOUGH S.O.B. shirts and toques in our online store. For every shirt and toque sold, we give a free TOUGH S.O.B. toque to a cancer patient at either the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre or Sunnybrook Hospital's Odette Cancer Centre in Toronto. It’s a buy one give one thing. How awesome is that?!
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2. Through donations from generous people like you. We also offer the option of making a donation in honour of someone you care about. More on that below…
Why Toques?
Cancer patients appreciate toques because they:
- Hide hair-loss resulting from chemotherapy
- Keep their heads warm (you’d be amazed how cold a hairless head can get – even indoors!)
- Protect their scalps from the sun (chemotherapy can make skin sensitive to UV rays)
- Provide comfort
Our empowering TOUGH S.O.B. toques are soft, lightweight (so they can be comfortably be worn indoors), breathable and super cool (as in cool like Fonzie).
What’s With the Backwards Logo?
We’re so glad you asked! The logo is backwards so that only you, the wearer, can see the message when looking at your reflection. It’s your own private reminder that you are a TOUGH S.O.B. To the rest of the world, the backwards logo is intentionally cryptic, since its purpose is not to proclaim that you are a TOUGH S.O.B. It is a simple but powerful personal reminder.
Give the Gift of Strength
Want to help someone with cancer? Give the gift of strength. TOUGH S.O.B. clothing reminds the wearer that he or she can face cancer with courage and dignity. After all, a positive outlook is an important part of the battle.
Cancer doesn't just affect the patient. It can also be emotionally crushing for family and friends of a patient, so why not give them the gift of strength too? Patients will be empowered by the display of solidarity from family and friends wearing TOUGH S.O.B. clothing; a display that demonstrates "We're all in this together!"
And here's the best part. When you give the gift of strength by buying TOUGH S.O.B. clothing, you're also buying toques for cancer patients.
A Gift in Someone’s Honour
Want to give a really special gift for any occasion? Make a donation to TOUGH S.O.B. in someone’s honour. We send your honouree a personalized ecard, and your gift pays for a bunch of toques to be distributed to cancer patients in need of a boost.
Click on the Donate button to choose how many toques you want distributed in honour of your special person.
The Origin of TOUGH S.O.B.
By Andrew Taylor, Founder
I was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2011.
I was told that my cancer could hopefully be managed by surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, but it couldn’t be cured. After a period of shock, I felt defeated. Defeated by the thought of my wife (my soulmate) becoming a widow, and my two sons (ages 3 and 8 at the time) growing up without a father; by the pending treatments and their side effects; of losing my independence; and, of course, dying.
A good friend of mine gave me a toque that he’d had embroidered with the words “TOUGH S.O.B.” (printed forward). His intention was to empower me, which I thought was incredibly insightful, because that’s exactly what I needed. Unfortunately, I never felt comfortable wearing the toque in public. The words “Tough S.O.B.” emblazoned on the front announced to the world that I was a tough s.o.b., when I didn’t particularly feel like one. What I needed was to be reminded that I was a tough s.o.b.
I came up with the idea of flipping the wording backwards so only I would see “Tough S.O.B.” when I looked in the mirror – a reminder for my eyes only. With the words flipped backwards, their meaning wouldn’t be apparent to others. I made a new toque for myself and, to make the message even more deceptive to the public, I chose a colour for the lettering that almost matched the colour of the toque.
It’s been over 6 years since my diagnosis. I’ve survived brain surgery, two-years of chemotherapy and six-weeks of radiation, all with the help of my backwards lettered TOUGH S.O.B. toque.
I hope that your toque or t-shirt gives you strength by reminding you that you too are a “Tough S.O.B.”
Andrew Taylor February, 2018