Dec. 13, 99 -- There are nearly 10 million Americans battling some form of cancer this holiday season.

If you know someone who has the disease, you know how hard it can be.

But experts say, a simple holiday gift from you, can help them.

There is a boutique designed especially for those with cancer, and buying the right gift can boost a patients spirits.

When Wendy Avner was diagnosed with cancer, she quickly found out how taboo the subject can be. Women who lose their hair to chemotherapy, or a breast to surgery, often feel excluded when they are shopping and embarrassed to ask for help.

Wendy Avner, Cancer Survivor: "I'm a breast and ovarian cancer survivor, while I was going through this experience I was very frustrated I couldn't find the products I needed."

But that's not a problem anymore for Wendy, because she now manages a store, called Hope's Boutique. It's a store that's owned by James Cancer Hospital, and caters only to people who have cancer.

Wendy Avner: "It's a one stop shopping concept where a person can come in here, they can get their bras, they can get their prostheses they can get their wigs, they don't have to go from place to place."

With one in three women at risk of developing some form of cancer in her lifetime, Wendy says, this is an idea whose time has come.

And customers agree. Kim Williams is shopping for a holiday gift for her grandmother who has cancer. She says until she found this boutique, she found shopping to be a depressing and frustrating experience.

Kim Williams, shopping for cancer patient: "This has provided an outlet for me to come and look at stuff, and be around people that are very friendly and helpful and find items for her."

But not only does this store make it easier for friends and family to find a gift, it can boost the confidence of a patient as well. Doctors say giving a specialized gift like this shows the patient that cancer is not a taboo subject afterall, and there are those who can help them get through it.

Experts say the survival rate for cancer is better than it's ever been 60% of those who are diagnosed with the disease will survive.

That's why stores like hope's boutique are important, they can provide a service to women for years after their bout with cancer.

If you'd like more information about the Cancer Boutique, log onto the James web site at:

www.jamesline.com

and click on 'Cancer News at the James' or call the James Line at 1-800-293-5066.