After I was recognized with breast most cancers, my life fractured right into a earlier than and an after. I underwent 5 months of chemotherapy, a unilateral mastectomy, and proton radiation. I misplaced a breast. I misplaced the life I assumed I used to be constructing. And I practically misplaced my reflection.
However I didn’t lose my hair.
That single element typically dismissed as beauty carried immense psychological weight. As a result of for me, and for a lot of others, hair wasn’t simply hair. It was id. It was company. It was one of many final outward symbols that also felt like mine in a season the place a lot had been stripped away.
Research present that as much as 14% of breast most cancers sufferers take into account delaying or avoiding chemotherapy altogether on account of concern of hair loss. That statistic is each staggering and unsurprising. Hair loss is usually the primary seen sign to the world that you just’re sick and it adjustments not simply how others see you, however the way you see your self.
Within the textual content threads with different girls in remedy – hair loss was a frequent matter. It got here up early and sometimes, often with grief. Some girls had been devastated by how shortly it occurred. Others shared that their youngsters reacted in another way towards them as soon as their hair was gone. A couple of mentioned their companions struggled to regulate to the change. Many discovered wigs uncomfortable or unnatural and didn’t wish to put on them, but in addition didn’t really feel secure or seen with out them. What struck me most was what number of girls mentioned they hadn’t even identified scalp cooling was an possibility. The selection had by no means been talked about. Value and entry had been main limitations too particularly for girls of coloration, girls with restricted monetary means, and people navigating care alone. Repeatedly, I noticed how one thing that would have supported their psychological and emotional wellbeing merely wasn’t supplied.
That was what struck me most.
Earlier than beginning chemotherapy, I researched each potential option to protect each my well being and sense of id all through remedy. I first got here throughout scalp cooling by means of a buddy’s suggestion and a Google search. After I met with my oncologist, I used to be relieved to be taught it was included within the affected person training session. I used to be fortunate, not everyone seems to be instructed it’s an possibility.
Throughout my rabbit gap search I discovered quite a lot of on-line chatter. The responses had been heartbreaking; many ladies had by no means heard of it. Others mentioned they had been instructed it was too costly. Some had been instructed it wouldn’t work, or that it wasn’t price it.
The reality is, scalp cooling is a well being fairness subject. This FDA-cleared expertise can cut back chemo-induced hair loss however with out-of-pocket prices of $2,000–$3,000 or extra, it’s been handled like a luxurious. And for girls in marginalized communities, it’s typically solely out of attain.
Now, we stand at a pivotal second. With new CPT codes not too long ago authorised by the AMA (set to enter impact in January 2026), scalp cooling has an opportunity to grow to be commonplace (not supplemental) care. However implementation gained’t occur by itself. Most hospitals aren’t but geared up to invoice for it. Insurance coverage corporations are gradual to maneuver. And sufferers nonetheless don’t realize it exists.
After I started utilizing scalp cooling, I didn’t know if it might work. I simply knew I wanted to strive. And each time I appeared within the mirror and nonetheless noticed me, it jogged my memory that I used to be greater than what I used to be going by means of. That mattered. That anchored me.
Scalp cooling doesn’t remove the trauma of most cancers nevertheless it eases one piece of it. It provides sufferers a second of grace in a world of scientific checkboxes. It permits a lady to point out up at work, together with her youngsters, or just in her personal pores and skin, with out a right away clarification.
If we really consider in treating the entire affected person, we should acknowledge that survival isn’t the one measure of success. Preserving a lady’s sense of self, her dignity, her id, her autonomy is simply as important. This expertise ought to by no means be a privilege. It ought to be a proper.
As a result of if you’re combating to your life, you shouldn’t must combat to your reflection too.
Picture: Natali_Mis, Getty Photos
Kia Lee is a broadcast creator dedicated to uplifting girls by means of tales of resilience and renewal.
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