A Wiltshire cancer survivor wants people going through chemotherapy to be offered hair replacement systems through the NHS.
Having been diagnosed with breast cancer and then losing her hair through her chemotherapy treatment, Sarah Letheren, in her 50s, wants hair replacement systems to be offered through the NHS.
After reading an article in The Guardian about journalist Decca Aitkenhead's cancer journey, Sarah found Jennifer Effie, who creates bespoke hair replacement systems for chemotherapy patients.
Sarah says: "This article changed my life."
Sarah continued to say: "One of my first thoughts when I got the diagnosis was that I didn’t want to lose my hair. It wasn't about vanity - I didn’t want to lose my identity or to be treated differently.
"After my second chemo treatment, I felt awful. My hair was falling out. Finding hair everywhere was the most disturbing experience.
She says she was afraid to see herself bald and went to see Jennifer wearing a hat and scarf.
"Jennifer and her team made sure that never happened. They turned me away from the mirror, then they shaved my head, put the hair on and shaped, styled and fixed it in place.
Sarah described her treatment as "the most important day of her life."
She said: "I suddenly felt that I didn’t have to lose who I was. No one would know I had breast cancer.
“When I finally decided to take it off a year later, my hair was quite short underneath. I went into work and people said, ‘Oh, you’ve had your hair cut.’ They never knew that I had gone through chemo."
Chrissie Laban, a consultant breast surgeon at Royal United Hospitals Bath, said: "When I saw Sarah again I was shocked because I was expecting her to be bald, and her hair looked amazing.
"It’s really important for breast cancer patients to have a positive outlook, and those who are optimistic tend to do better than those who despair and give up. A positive outlook is very powerful. It’s important to make patients aware this exists."
The NHS website states that you can get free synthetic wigs on the NHS if you're under 16, or you are 19 or under and in full-time education, or you're a hospital inpatient.
If you or your partner are getting Universal Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or the guarantee credit of Pension Credit, you are also entitled to free synthetic wigs on the NHS, as are those with an NHS tax credit exemption certificate or if you are named on a valid HC2 certificate.
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