|
 In addition to impacting self-esteem, the loss of
hair can also lead to additional health issues. For example, hair
and head coverings are necessary in the cold months to help retain
body heat. The majority of our body heat escapes through our head.
So, having hair and wearing head coverings is important when the
weather is cold.
In addition, hair and head coverings provide shelter from the sun.
Sunburn on the scalp can be quite painful. Especially during
treatment, it is important to avoid sores and abrasions. So,
blistering from sunburn is not something a cancer patient should
experience if avoidable.
For some, buying a wig is something that they can’t work into the
budget. For those people, the American Cancer Society does offer a
solution, a wig bank that is accessible to cancer patients who are
income eligible.
Cancer patients can get information about wig banks through the ACS
website, but here in Logan County there is an active wig bank where
patients can go to a local stylist, choose a wig have it cut and
styled to fit their face, and walk out of the salon feeling better
about themselves.
Fabulous Hairstyles with owner/operator/stylists Kim Olson and her
mother Judy Worth offer this service to any qualified individual who
needs a wig.
Olson recently spoke about the wig bank and explained a little bit
about what they do at Fabulous. The shop has an inventory of gently
used wigs that clients can go through and choose. In addition, the
stylists can assist clients in getting wigs through other ACS free
resources if they don’t have something suitable in their inventory.
Once a wig is selected, it is fitted to the client, and styled on
their head. Sometimes wigs need a little bit of shaping to fit the
face or a length adjustment. Kim and Judy are happy to work with
their clients, because they understand the impact this small gesture
can make on a warrior.
Judy is a six time cancer survivor, who still struggles from time to
time, but doesn’t let it stop her. She helps with the wig bank,
actually doing most of it and she also works as a stylist at one of
the local senior living facilities.
Kim said there has been a time or two when she and her mom talked
about giving the responsibility of the wig bank to someone else, but
then something strange and kind of wonderful happened during a
fitting one time.
Kim explained that people don’t often see the tops of their heads.
It’s practically impossible to get a mirror in a position where one
can see the top and a lot of people don’t ever think about trying to
look, or having someone else look.
One day Judy was preparing a client for a fitting, and before doing
so was looking at the shape of her head and noted something odd
looking on the top of her head. It alarmed her enough that she felt
compelled to tell her customer there was an odd spot there. She
suggested the client might want to speak to her doctor about it.
Sometime later, the client reached out to Judy and said that she
wanted to thank the stylist for telling her about the spot. It
turned out that when the doctor examined it and did the testing, the
spot was an aggressive skin cancer that could have become
life-threatening in only a short while. The client thanked Judy for
perhaps saving her life from one cancer as she battled to survive
another.
Kim said after that, she and her mom knew that they were not ready
to pass the torch to another stylist. The care and consideration
they give to their clients is important to Kim and Judy, and they
want to rest easy knowing that each client is treated with love and
respect. In addition, they know that not everyone would have seen
what Judy saw. Giving their clients that little extra bit of
attention is why Judy and Kim both keep doing what they do.
Karen Hargis remembers when her best friend lost her hair; it was a
tough thing to go through. But the situation was made better when
her friend was able to go to Fabulous Hairstyles in Lincoln and get
a wig through the American Cancer Society Wig Bank.
“My best friend had cancer and was losing her hair and went to
Fabulous Hairstyles and tried on wigs. They had plastic tubs full of
wigs in every color and length. She picked one out that was close to
her regular hairstyle and Kim cut and shaped it to look so natural.
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"I can’t tell you what this service did for her
self-esteem. It’s an amazing service. And while American Cancer
Society supplies most of those wigs for free, Kim and Judy at
Fabulous have such a compassionate hearts for those going through
cancer. They have been there and know the struggle.”
Karen also noted that when her friend left her, the
wig she had gotten from Fabulous was donated back to the wig bank
along with a second wig that her friend had purchased.
Nila Smith also had a close friend who went through the loss of
hair. She remembers how hard it hit her friend, and the impact it
had on Nila as well.
“She was a strong woman, unshakable in just about every situation.
She took her cancer battle seriously and was determined that it
would not take her life. She fought hard and for a bit, it seemed
that she might succeed. Then she developed metastatic breast cancer
of the brain, and it was downhill from then on.
“Even as her condition worsened though, she was still a fighter and
she stayed a fighter to the very last day. I seldom saw her fall
apart or get angry over what she was going through, with one
exception. I remember it so clearly, we had talked earlier in the
day as we did every day. But on that particular evening, I was at
home and she called me. She was crying hard and it took a while for
her to relay to me that she had gone to wash her hair and a bunch of
it came out.
“She was one of those people that her hair defined her. She had a
light complexion with freckles and bright red hair that she loved.
She always looked younger than she was because of her coloring. It
gave her that little girl look all the time.
“Through the tears she talked about her hair and how devastating it
was to have it leave her. Then as the tears finally subsided she
said to me, “you have to come cut my hair.” Then it was my turn to
sob hard, I didn’t think I could do it in spite of the fact she was
my best friend. “I don’t think I can do it,” Nila said. She replied,
“I don’t think I can either. That’s why it has to be you. I don’t
want anyone else to go through this with me, it has to be you.”
“So, I got in the car and drove to her house that night. We did it
in her kitchen and we snipped and bawled and snipped and bawled all
the way through it. When we were finished she had only about a
quarter inch of hair all over her head, and the spots where hair had
come out were quite visible.
“For the next few days she wore scarves and hats, but after about a
week, all the hair was gone and she was completely bald. Then one
day she showed up wearing this cute little red wig. I had worried
about her going into a depression over the loss of her hair, and
knew if she did, she might give up. But the wig, well it was the
next best thing for her. She had chosen red, of course, and had it
styled similar to her own hair. Yes, you could tell if you knew her
well, that it was a wig, and not entirely the same, but close enough
that it revived the fight in her, and helped her keep her dignity.”
Attitude is so very important when someone is battling any kind of
illness not just cancer or breast cancer. When there is something
that can be done to improve the attitude and lighten the load of the
heavy burden a patient carries, it should be done.
Wigs are not for everyone. A number of women chose not to go the wig
route because a wig can be hot, sometimes hard to keep on and just
in general a nuisance. To each it is their prerogative. Some choose
caps or scarves and others feel that their bald head helps define
them in this particular stage of their lives. The bottom line, do
what is right for you, do what makes you stronger and makes you a
better, tougher warrior.
For those who are interested in obtaining a wig, the American Cancer
Society does offer some information, but we suggest here locally
that you visit Kim and/or Judy at Fabulous Hairstyles in Lincoln.
They will treat you with love and respect and will assist you in any
way they can.
If you have a warrior who has left you and you wish to do good for
others, Fabulous will also accept wig donations for the ACS wig
bank.
[Nila Smith] |
