How I saved my hair on chemo?

My name is Nicole. I live in Phoenix, Arizona with my husband and our two boys, who at the time of my cancer diagnosis were just five and eight years old. This is my cancer story about how I saved my hair on chemo

Back in 2017, I was told I had breast cancer. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying it came as a complete shock. I just couldn’t believe this was happening to me! I’ve studied nutrition, always tried to follow a healthy lifestyle and spent years working as a health coach for other people. The reality still hadn’t hit home when I broke the news to my family and close friends

For most of that time I was in a total daze – but one thing that did cut through the fog was when my oldest came home from school, extremely upset. “Mommy,” he said, “one of the kids at school said you’re going to go bald and die”.

I’m not going bald

That statement rocked me to the core – kids can be so cruel. I looked into his eyes, I said, “Honey, I am NOT going to go bald, and I am most certainly NOT going to die” – I had every intention of keeping both those promises.

For the first few weeks after my diagnosis, I did what every oncologist tells you not to do – I started devouring information on the internet. I spent hours reading scientific studies and articles – looking for ways to save my hair. I trawled through social media, searching for women with the same diagnosis as me – and it was on Instagram that I found the hashtag #coldcapssavedmyhair. As I read further, I was amazed. There were so many real-life stories of real women (and men) just like me who had achieved amazing results with cold capping. Why had I never heard of it before? It seemed to be the answer.

Treatment program – how I saved my hair on chemo?

At the time of my biopsy and tests, my medical team thought I was at stage 2a. I was told that my treatment plan would only likely require surgery, possibly radiation, but no chemo. I breathed a massive sigh of relief… I’d get to keep my hair.

It wasn’t until after my double mastectomy it became apparent that the cancer was more advanced than they’d first thought. Instead of “early-stage 2”, I was at stage 3c and “locally advanced”. A more aggressive treatment protocol was now necessary, this meant chemo. All I could think about was the promise I had made to my son. I couldn’t lose my hair.

Stay in control of your own journey

I decided I needed to find a consultant who was willing to work with me, accommodating my needs as an individual on my cancer journey. I sought a second opinion from a well-known oncologist across town. I was initially devastated when he told me that I would need to undergo a far more aggressive treatment protocol than in my original plan – and that meant an even stronger dose of chemo drugs. At that point, I thought there was no way I was going to save my hair. So, it was with some trepidation when I mentioned cold capping.

I was overjoyed with his reaction – a complete turnaround to my previous oncologist. He was extremely positive about cold cap therapy and said he’d had other patients who had successfully capped in his center.

He understood why saving my hair was so important to me. He accepted that hair loss can have a negative impact on the mental well-being of some people – and how retaining their hair after chemo can improve their state of mind, which in turn has a positive impact on the overall recovery after treatment.

He was able to provide me with details of several cold cap companies. When I asked which one had the highest success rate, he replied, “Penguin Cold Caps.”