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Donated wigs plus community collaboration benefit Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute patients
One of the most difficult side effects of chemotherapy treatment is hair loss. However, where there is a will for helping others, there is way. Eighteen years ago, staff at Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute began partnering with local vocational and technical schools to transform donated wigs and give them free to cancer patients. It’s continued to be a win-win for patients, students and for community collaboration itself.
“We receive bins of something like 40 wigs at a time from donations,” says Amy LeVan, MSN, RN, Director of Infusion Services for the Muhlenberg, Hecktown Oaks, Pocono and Carbon locations of Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute. “We have them professionally cleaned and styled and offer them to patients who are undergoing chemotherapy treatment. It’s something we can do.”
LeVan notes that the staff has worked with different partners over the years for the cleaning and styling portion. Currently, those participating are the cosmetology programs at Bethlehem Area Vocational- Technical School (BAVTS) and Lehigh Career & Technical Institute (LCTI). The Cancer Institute is always looking for more partners since the wigs keep on coming.
“Wigs are expensive, so people really appreciate it,” says Jill Korn, BSN, RN, Director of Infusion Services at the Cedar Crest, Hazleton and Schuylkill campuses of the Cancer Institute. She notes that along with their diagnosis, many patients are devastated financially – by job loss, medical expenses or both. “The fact that these students take time out to do this, to make someone feel a little better, is amazing. It’s a community collaboration that we’re all in together.”
Heather Keck is the cosmetology teacher at LCTI and enthusiastically accepted the wigs. She has built the project into her students’ curriculum as a valuable teaching opportunity, especially considering wig styling is often one of the requirements on the state licensing exams.
“We first make sure proper infection control standards are met for cleaning the wigs,” says Keck, who notes donations include synthetic as well as human hair wigs. “From there the students style the wigs any way they want. You cannot blow-dry synthetic wigs, so I’m able to teach various techniques such as air drying and wet sets.”
After the students clean and style the wigs, they take the extra step of photographing and numbering each one. The wigs are wrapped in a shower cap (used for trying on the wigs), and the color photo and number are attached to the outside. That way, people can easily see what the wig looks like and note by number which ones they like. Several of Lehigh Valley Health Network’s (LVHN)’s campuses already have or are creating specific areas where people can try on the wigs in private.
Keck says her students have enjoyed this project and take it very seriously. “There is an actual purpose behind it,” she says. “The students realize they are helping someone who is going through a rough time. They’re not just working with a mannequin.”
One of the first advocates for the wig recycling program was Stanley Prodes, who teaches in the Academy of Medical Science program at BAVTS. This program, for honor students who want to pursue a career in health care, interacts with 15 hospital departments to provide students with hands-on learning opportunities. Forty students rotate through many departments, two at a time, including the cancer infusion center and radiation oncology. Students discuss the importance of the wig project relevant to cancer treatment.
“This project is a really nice experience for the cosmetology students,” Prodes says. “It’s not unusual to get 100 or more wigs a year. I’m the delivery guy and help transport the wigs back and forth.”
He says the infusion centers appreciate the program and that the students who take part “really love it.” He knows the value from a personal perspective too. “When my mom went through breast cancer surgery and treatment, a wig was very important to her,” Prodes says. “It gave her a sense of normalcy.”
