April 10, 2020
“Thank you so much for my cap wig, it has been a life saver. For many, baldness might be “no big deal” but it truly is a big deal. Let me tell you a little about why my baldness is such a big deal and how your cap wig came to save me. I am a pediatric oncology nurse, so I have spent most of my professional life trying to convince children, specially teenage girls, that their hair (or lack thereof) does not define them nor does it make them less beautiful. I have sat with many while they cry and beg to be “normal”. I have had to hold them while they cry “why me?”. I repeated time and time again, “it’s just hair”, “it will grow back”, “rock your baldness”, and every line you can think of to make them feel better during such a horrible time in their life. A few years ago, my little sister (34 years old) was diagnosed with breast cancer and I told her the same things “rock it”, “you are beautiful”, “let them stare”, etc. Then my diagnosis came and I finally understood, because (as you must already know) it’s different when it happens to you. Although it was hard, I made a conscious decision in honor of my sister and my little patients… no wigs! I would use head wraps but never a wig and absolutely nothing while at work. I felt like a hypocrite, to use a wig when I have spent so much time telling my patients they are beautiful with or without hair. Gosh, almost all of them were so supportive and grateful about my commitment to them and to my new baldness. I never thought of my sons when I made my decision. Because of what I do for a living, my son’s have been exposed to cancer all their lives. I have taught them to be respectful of people who are suffering with this terrible disease and to be supportive of other children who don’t have hair, specially if other kids at school are making fun of them. They are so great about it that I’m truly proud of all four of them. But I didn’t realize it’s different when you have to explain to the other kids why your mom looks like a boy… specially since “she doesn’t look sick”. The hardest time for me was when my 13 year old started “forgetting” to tell me when his basketball games were, hoping i wouldn’t go. “It’s hard to have to explain to everyone why you don’t have hair”. It broke my heart, but I understood. When I told Liz about it, she suggested your cap wig and you were so great to donate it to me. I didn’t tell my son about it, I just showed up at his game with it on and I saw his expression… it was priceless! He told me many times that I didn’t HAVE to wear it, but he also couldn’t stop talking about how great it looked and how “not sick” I looked with it. Thank you… your foundation made a huge difference in our lives and I will be forever grateful for that!!!”