A Santa Clarita resident travels more than 30 miles to a yarn shop in North Hollywood. “We don’t have a yarn store in Santa Clarita,” says Kiki Nocella.
That trip helped spark an idea. After learning about Knitted Knockers on social media, Nocella shared the program with Liz Sroka and their group. The response was immediate: they decided to start making them.
“Knitted Knockers are handmade, knitted or crocheted breast prostheses for survivors of breast cancer,” Sroka says.
A prosthesis can support physical health and emotional well-being after a full or partial breast removal. About one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in her lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute.
Early detection remains key. “We have amazing technology to screen for early detection of breast cancer, and that’s a mammogram,” says Anjali Date, medical director of the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Center. “That’s our best tool to find cancers at their earliest stage.”
Local groups and clinics are joining forces to connect patients with resources. Date says Knitted Knockers can offer patients “a little bit of light-heartedness, a little bit of joy, and a lot of compassion,” in a way that helps them feel seen and cared for.
Terry Mitchell Collier has more.
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Apr 16, 2026
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