Frequently, when we think of hats we think Derby, Wedding, sartorial cool and functional sun blocking hats.
I have over the years sold Callanan and Scala hats to the hospital shops at the world renowned cancer centers of Slone Kettering NYC and Dana Faber Cancer Institute Boston, as well as private stores like Underneath it all NYC. These hat shop buyers like Theresa, Carol etc. are very special people, their job being more a vocation, to help people who are going through chemotherapy to feel good about themselves.
The men seem to be quite happy to pull a kit beanie over their hairless noggins, but for the ladies it can be much harder experience. Women's image is so tied up with their hair. A bad dye job/haircut can be nerve racking on the best of days, so the loss of hair from radiation can be devastating feeling.
The reality is that these women do not want to buy an expensive hat, but are being forced to buy one, due to the result of their illness. Besides the "look" a mane of flowing hair can give, it also acts a shield against the elements. Without hair we are more susceptible to the cold and the suns damaging rays.
Some of the hat needs for a lady with hair loss due to chemotherapy
* Ultra soft interior. The newly exposed head is very sensitive. Silky linings work well.
* Comfortable fit. Not too tight and not so loose that it might fly off her in a gust of wind.
* The hat should fit below the hair line. Small brimmed fedoras and open back baseball caps are a no no.
Callanan cloches are a good option, as they are not over powering on the wearer and after perfect hairline coverage. The adjustable head size offered extra security.
Our best selling cotton SCALA style LC399, is great for the ladies who loose their hair during the spring/summer months. It has an adjustable head sizer with a soft cotton lining. The brim can be worn up or down for added sun protection or privacy.
It is available in 25 delightful colors, looks great on every and no-one will even suspect that you are going through hair loss.
Or you can be like the delightful Sara Cutting and say f%&Kit!, sc#$w it! I ain't going to let this get me down and make a ridiculous zany hat to wear every day. My hat is off to Sarah and all the ladies going through chemo out there!!
This Breast Cancer Patient Wore Amazing Hats Every Day For Charity And Awareness
“Having fun taking selfies distracted from the reality of my aggressive cancer,” Sara Cutting told BuzzFeed News reporter Laura Silver.
Last July, Sara Cutting from Brighton was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, and after having surgery to remove the tumour, underwent 18 weeks of chemotherapy.
Hair loss is a common side-effect of chemotherapy, so Cutting said she “decided to take control and shave off my golden locks in stages over the days before my treatment started.
Cutting explained that her Macmillan nurse, Lisa, has been with her throughout the “surreal roller coaster” of her illness and wanted to do something to give something back to the cancer charity.
She came up with the “365 Day Different Daily Headgear”, which she completed last Tuesday having raised £15,640 for Macmillan.
For a year, Cutting posted a daily picture of herself wearing an outlandish variety of headpieces on Instagram and Facebook, with a link for people to donate to the charity.
Now that the challenge is complete, Cutting told BuzzFeed News that the pressure is off, “but I keep missing it and putting things on head anyway!”
Having fun taking the pictures acted as a distraction from how aggressive her cancer was. “When I was really ill with chemo, it was brilliant because, instead of feeling shit about that, was thinking about what to put on my head,” she explained.
While cutting was able to line up weeks worth of pictures with amazing creations milliners would send her, but, she said, “sometimes I’d panic” when she couldn’t think of anything.
“There was one day where I was looking in kitchen so I grabbed a kitchen roll and scourer, which made me laugh a lot,” she told us. “I have a brain like a sieve, so will I’ll probably do one with a sieve at some point. The household appliance ones crack me up.”
Having been just 46 when diagnosed with breast cancer, Cutting was also keen to raise awareness of the importance of regularly checking your breasts at any age.
According to Macmillan, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and eighteen per cent of cases were diagnosed in female patients aged less than 50.
Each picture was tagged with #NowGoCheckYourBits, to remind women to check their breasts, and Cutting told us that she is keen to continue campaigning for women to be body aware.
“Some of the pictures evoke strong really strong memories of how ill I was at the time – and I think, ‘how did I actually do that’?” said Cutting, adding that she remembers how emotional she felt when many were taken.
Mostly, though, she said she “spent many hours totally amusing myself doing ridiculous things.”
While she doesn’t have a particular favourite, Cutting said she prefers “the ones where I look back and remember laughing that I love the most.”
She did remember one, which was inspired by the band Radiohead that particularly amused her. “It’s so simple – a radio on my head!”, she laughed.
While taking her recovery day-by-day, Cutting is planning even more charitable activities, including the next Brighton half-marathon, which she said she was only able to walk while having chemo last year.
“I ran five miles on Sunday!”, she told us proudly.
Cutting intends to hold a “massive party” to auction off the hats she was sent throughout the year, which are currently filling her stepdaughter’s bedroom, and raise more money for Macmillan.
Right now, Cutting said, “I’m just glad to be here and alive.”
“Some days I have more energy, and some more pain, but the amazing team at Macmillian and NHS have been there for me the whole time.
“You don’t get all the clear, but if still here five years from now then great. If I’m not, I’m not.
“It’s one day at a time.”
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