The “Sempre Tu – turban&cheveaux” project for the donation of wigs to women with cancer is underway
[ad_1]
“Doctor, will I lose my hair?”. This is perhaps the question that oncologists hear most frequently. It was in the past and it still is. Because for many patients with breast cancer – and not only – the “chemo that causes hair loss” is still an obligatory step. Although alopecia is transient and may seem like a secondary problem from the outside, it is not at all. Suffice it to say that there are also those who, albeit rarely, can refuse life-saving treatments in order to maintain their appearance. The wig therefore remains a fundamental safeguard, but it is also an important economic burden, which adds up to the so-called financial toxicity of the tumor and which not everyone can afford. To contribute to helping patients, Noicisiamo, the first Italian association dedicated to metastatic breast cancer, has launched the project “Semper Tu – turban&cheveaux”: the first step will be to donate over 130 wigs to some Breast Units, thanks to the agreements already in place. Added to these are the bandanas.
The project
“The Semper Tu – turban&cheveaux project adds to the other initiatives already present in the area to help fill a deeply felt need – he says Marina La Norcia, President of Noicisiamo – This project is made possible thanks to the generosity of a Parisian company, NJ Création, and the collaboration between our association and Ayanah Brown/Le bandana rose, in Guadeloupe (Antilles, France). We want to try to reach above all the places where this type of service is more difficult to reach. We are not alone in this, but we are supported by people who continue to show great humanity”.
Breast cancer, Letizia Battaglia’s photos and the search for beauty in disease
by Tiziana Moriconi
Half of the wigs intended for women were donated directly by the NJ Création company to Noicisiamo, while the other half was purchased by Ayanah Brown/Le bandana rose (for a total value of around 50,000 euros). At the moment the agreements have been started with the hospital of Sora – Asl Frosinone (Lazio); with the Asl 3 of Genoa (Liguria) and with the National Cancer Institute – IRCCS “Pascale” of Naples (Campania). “Every day we see that losing hair due to a health problem can cause profound trauma, because it reveals the disease to the world and undermines social identity – he confirms Michelino De Laurentiis, Director of the Breast and Thoracic-Pulmonary Oncology Department of the National Cancer Institute – IRCCS Pascale Foundation of Naples – The problem is particularly felt by older women. Young girls seem to be able to cope better with this passage, but only for a small percentage of them it is not a problem. Solutions are being sought in the medical world: computerized cooling helmets have been being tested for some years, but to date they only work for some chemotherapy treatments. In other cases they are still ineffective or partially effective, and in these cases, partial hair loss is even worse than losing it all. That’s why an initiative like this has an extraordinary social and human value for us and for our patients”.
Tumors. Story of Anthony giving his hair to sick women
by Tiziana Moriconi
Metastatic breast cancer
Thanks to the advancement of genomics and the development of new biological therapies, it is possible to imagine a future in which chemotherapy will be used less and less, both for the early stage of breast cancer and for the advanced one. “Today, however, chemotherapy is still an important tool against cancer – he comments Nicolette Gandolfo, Coordinator of the Breast Unit of the Asl3 Villa Scassi of Genoa, Director of the Imaging Department and President-elect of SIRM (Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology) – It is estimated that in Italy today there are about 50,000 women living with metastatic cancer, the which means 50,000 women who are constantly, or nearly so, in therapy. Hair loss can be an even more traumatic event in this phase, because it is associated with the need for a change in therapy and more aggressive treatment”.
“A clean cut”, the sense of donating hair for those with cancer
by Barbara Orrico
Not everyone can show the disease
The ability to access wigs is also important for another aspect, often underestimated: in the case of self-employed or atypical workers, for example, who may not be able to make their illness visible. In some Regions there is a fund to support, at least in part, cancer patients who wish to buy a wig, but not everywhere and it is not always sufficient to cover real needs. For this reason it is often the Associations that come to the rescue, or the companies themselves. “We at NJ Création are honored to collaborate with Noicisiamo – the Italian Metastatic Breast Cancer Association and to contribute to their mission of supporting people with cancer through our wig donation – he comments Leo Dossini, Sales Manager Italy of NJ Création – As creators of wigs, we know how economically difficult it can be to face the disease and regain one’s image, and we want to help give this possibility. We are convinced that this can make a big difference to the quality of life of people with cancer, and that it will help them regain self-confidence”.
The short film “Le bandana rose
Alongside Noicisiamo there is also Ayanah Brown/Le bandana rose, a charity that aims to directly help sick women and children and their families, through various initiatives to provide them with logistical and material support, as she explains Dinah Effoudou, director and screenwriter, President of the association she founded with the model and actress Félyne, in collaboration with CANAL+ ANTILLES. Together, in fact, in 2020 they made the short film “Le bandana rose” which brings a true story to the screen: that of a girl who, due to treatment for an oncological disease and hair loss, cuts all ties with her parents. friends and with society. The short continues to be screened and is intended to raise awareness of hair donation and fundraising.
[ad_2]
Source link
