“Hair 4 U” Helps Teens with Cancer

Every day in the UK, 6 young people between the ages of 13 and 24 are diagnosed with cancer.  Every week in Scotland alone, 3 young people are given the same diagnosis.

For teens, it can be devastating. One minute life is about music, clothes, computer games, college and hanging out with your mates. The next minute your life is on hold and you’re in a hospital ward with no-one your age and feeling very isolated.

One of the worst parts for teens can be hair loss.  This is very stressful for all cancer patients, but it is a particularly difficult blow for teenagers.  Many find it the hardest part of having cancer and enduring treatment.

Teens are at a particularly vulnerable time in their lives for this to happen.  Appearance, especially for teenagers, is closely linked to feelings of self-esteem and confidence.  Many teenagers who lose their hair due to chemotherapy are left feeling very depressed and angry, which can have a detrimental effect on their health and wellbeing and their response to treatment.

This is why People’s Postcode Trust was proud to sponsor Teenage Cancer Trust’s “Hair 4 U” programme. The objective of the “Hair 4 U” project is to give young cancer patients back the confidence and self-esteem that they have lost through losing their hair due to cancer treatment by giving them real hair wigs.

Teenage Cancer Trust would ultimately like to offer every young cancer patient in Scotland the opportunity to have a real hair wig, styled to resemble their natural hair, and to give them an aftercare service on how to care for their wig.  People’s Postcode Trust donated £10,000 to this worthy cause, which provided 50 young people with a high quality wig of their own.

This project is vital to young cancer patients. The confidence they gain through preserving their looks through a real hair wig has a huge effect on helping them keep a positive attitude in their fight against cancer, which in turn has a positive effect on their response to treatment.

People’s Postcode Trust receives 100% of its funding from People’s Postcode Lottery.  To date, the Trust has given £1.3 million to 220 individual projects across England and Scotland.  To learn more about the People’s Postcode Trust and the projects it funds, visit the Postcode Trust’s website.