Mattress Mack and renowned doctor headlining Houston salon's fundraiser aimed at helping cancer patients

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston salon is using its passion for fashion to help cancer patients who have lost their hair due to the disease.

Visible Changes will hold its third annual event Fashion for a Passion to help raise money for its program, Thair For You, which helps provide wigs free of charge to cancer patients.

This year's event will be held Oct. 7 at 2:30 p.m. at Chapman and Kirby in East Downtown.

It will also be somewhat of a tailgate party ahead of the Houston Texans' game that night against the Dallas Cowboys.

This year, Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale and renowned specialist in medical oncology at Houston Methodist Dr. Jenny Chang will be the special guests.

McIngvale will put his sales skills to use and that iconic voice Houstonians know well to host the silent and live auction, which includes autographed items from Roger Clemens, the Houston Astros, the Houston Rockets and the chance to win two club level 50-yard line tickets to the Sunday night game.

Chang, who is also the Emily Hermann Chair in Cancer Research at the Cancer Center at Houston Methodist, will speak about the latest research news and progress being made to fight cancer.

Local cancer patients will be presented with wigs and rock the runway with models in the fashion show portion of the event.

Local designer Nicholas Nguyen and the Cotton Club Collection will both send pieces down the runway in two separate fashion shows.

The program the evening is supporting is one that's personal for Visible Changes co-founder Maryanne McCormack.

McCormack was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2009. She began treatments at the Texas Medical Center and it was there while she was sitting in the infusion room that she noticed women of all ages wearing baseball caps and turbans to hide their bald heads, while others left their heads uncovered.

McCormack says she thought to herself "a woman's glory is her hair and the crown that you never have to take off."

She says it was then that she decided she needed to do something to make those women feel good about themselves, bring some joy to their lives, and make sure every cancer patient has the opportunity to "bring back the glory that belongs to a woman."

The concept of Thair For You was born.

In October 2011, the salon began giving away wigs. The program became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2014 due to its rapid growth.

Since its inception, Thair For You has given away more than 4,000 wigs that are cut and styled to a client's liking after a consultation.

All proceeds from October's event will go toward purchasing more wigs.

Tickets are $50 for two guests. The cost includes one designer cocktail per person and appetizers.

Guests are encouraged to wear pink.

Click here for more information on ticket packages and Thair For You.