We would like to say a huge thank you to one of our supporters Paul Wheatley, co-owner of Rediscovered 4U who has very kindly made a donation to us, so the Sussex Cancer Fund could buy some chin straps that work with the cold caps and machines used by chemotherapy patients.
A Cold Cap machine is a piece of equipment that actively cools the scalp of patients receiving chemotherapy. Scalp cooling can sometimes reduce or prevent hair loss caused by chemotherapy. It works by reducing the blood flow to the scalp. This can stop the chemotherapy drug from affecting the hair. Scalp cooling does not work with all chemotherapy drugs, and it is not always possible to know how effective the treatment will be but can be effective in many cases. Scalp cooling only protects the hair on the scalp and therefore patients may still lose hair from other parts of the body. Patients often list hair loss as one of the key concerns of their treatment. Reducing hair loss or even preventing hair loss can do a lot to preserve a more positive self-image and a sense of normality.
The Sussex Cancer Fund has recently bought some caps to go with the new cold cap machines which have been purchased by our partners the BSUH Charity. Paul’s donation allowed us to purchase 26 new chin straps to go with the recently purchased equipment.
Image: Jenny King, Chemotherapy Nurse Specialist, with the chin straps kindly donated by Paul Wheatley (inset)
