NEW DELHI: As an initiative to help the cancer patients, the nursing staff of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Tuesday donated their hair for making wigs. More than 150 nurses donated their hair including Dr. Latha Venkatesan, Professor cum Principal at College of Nursing, AIIMS.
“We wanted to conduct the programme on February 4 which is celebrated as World Cancer Day but due to prior engagements, we could not do so,” said Dr. Latha. “Hair loss is a major issue for patients due to chemotherapy. Their body gets badly affected due to the chemo sessions,” she added.
Along with cancer comes a major stigma of sharing personal details with society which is a mentally
exhausting task. According to Dr. Latha, the hair will be given to wig makers and in a month’s time, these wigs will be distributed among the cancer patients.
The institute collaborated with Jawed Habib Hair Salon who also styled the hair of the nurses after cutting them. Along with the nurses, some children who came along with their parents also donated their hair for the cause.
The prospect of losing hair is one of the major factors that prevent many women from undergoing cancer treatment involving chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells in the body. It works by targeting all rapidly growing cells including hair cells and
it results in extensive hair loss two weeks after the chemotherapy. Hair loss affects the self-esteem of patients and creates a social stigma.