At a Glance:
Diagnosis: Stage 1B invasive ductal carcinoma (ER+, PR+, HER2+)
Drug regimen: 6 rounds of TCHP chemotherapy (every 3 weeks for 18 weeks)
Results: Saved 80–85% of her hair
Tanner says: “Thanks to Penguin, I was able to feel like myself during treatment. Being able to keep my hair completely changed my entire chemo journey.”
When 32-year-old flight attendant Tanner Roe was diagnosed with breast cancer, her world stopped for a moment, but her sense of humor and determination didn’t.
One month after her final chemo session
Living in San Diego, thousands of miles from her family in Virginia, Tanner found unexpected silver linings in her cancer journey, including a new closeness with her parents, and a way to keep hold of something that helped her feel like herself: her long, straight hair.
“Sorry Mom, love you, but I need some palm trees in my life!”
“I was born and raised in Virginia, but San Diego has been home for the past four and a half years. Being a flight attendant, I’ve spent time in many cities, but San Diego is the only place that ever really felt like home. My parents still live on the East Coast, but thanks to cancer (yep, silver linings!) I feel closer to them than ever. My mom actually flew out to be with me for every single treatment.”
Before her diagnosis, Tanner’s life was fast-paced and full of adventure. “BC (before cancer), as my friend Hayley calls it, I was always on the go. Between work trips and vacations, my life was nonstop. These days it’s a bit slower, and honestly, that’s been kind of nice. I love my quiet date nights at home with my boyfriend or long walks with my best friend – it’s the best kind of therapy.”
Facing the fear
Tanner was diagnosed with Stage 1B invasive ductal carcinoma, triple positive (ER+, PR+, HER2+) and began six rounds of TCHP chemotherapy, spaced three weeks apart over 18 weeks.
“When I first heard the word cancer, my mind went straight to the worst-case scenario,” she recalls. “I was terrified it might spread before we could treat it, even though my biopsy showed no lymph node involvement. My second fear was losing my hair.”
For Tanner, hair is more than vanity, it’s part of her identity.
Tanner stays positive before starting another chemo round.
“I’ve always had long hair. The most I’ve ever cut off was four inches, and I cried the whole way home,” she laughs. “When I was younger, I was really shy and used to hide behind my hair. I’m not that shy little girl anymore, but I still think of my hair as my armor.
“Cancer takes away so much control. Saving my hair gave me back a bit of that. It helped me feel like I still looked like me, like a normal 32-year-old woman. I could go to the store, hang out with friends, and people didn’t look at me and immediately think, she has cancer.”
Discovering cold capping
Like many people, Tanner discovered cold capping through social media.
“I started watching videos about breast cancer and chemo on Instagram, and that’s how I first heard about cold capping. From there, my mom and I did some research and found Penguin Cold Caps.”
We were immediately drawn to Penguin’s reputation and flexibility.
“My mom and I had a really good feeling about Penguin from the start. Reading the success stories on their website gave me so much hope. Penguin recommended I continue cold capping for four and a half hours after my last drug finished. That would’ve been impossible with a machine-based system.
“I also liked that we could control the temperature and make the caps colder and tighter to my head, plus, I loved that the Penguin reps and cappers had real experience with cancer themselves.”
Learning the ropes
Tanner describes the ordering process as “super easy” but admits the first few rounds of chemo were a learning curve.
“The hardest part was changing the caps on schedule. Between nurses swapping meds, bathroom breaks, and conversations with other patients, it’s easy to lose track of time. My mom and I worked as a team – each round we got a little better.”
For the first session, Tanner hired a professional capper named Paige.
“She was amazing! She taught my mom exactly what to do. My mom took over for the second round, but I was so anxious that we might be doing something wrong, we brought Paige back for round three. After that, my mom totally nailed it for rounds four to six.”
Close-up view showing Tanner’s hair retention
Despite being “extremely sensitive to cold,” Tanner found capping surprisingly tolerable.“Once my head adjusted to the first and second caps, it wasn’t bad at all. Even those first few minutes were manageable.”
Her verdict?
“Absolutely 100% yes – I’d recommend Penguin to anyone.”
Tanner’s top tips for cold capping success
- Use ice chips instead of block ice when picking up dry ice – it freezes more evenly around the caps.
- Hire a capper for your first two rounds. Watching and doing are very different!
- Take notes and videos of your capper in action so your helper can replicate it confidently.
- Set a timer for cap changes – there’s a lot going on during chemo, and it’s easy to lose track.
Results worth smiling about
Tanner’s hair is long, straight, and fine, and she retained around 80–85% of it through and after treatment.
“I shed a normal amount during chemo, mostly on hair wash days, but nothing alarming. The biggest shed came five to nine weeks after chemo ended, which was scary because I thought I was in the clear. Luckily, I had thick hair to start with, so no one else really noticed. My friends said they couldn’t tell at all!”
Tanner enjoys comfort and companionship from Purdy, a therapy dog, during treatment with Penguin Cold Caps.
Looking back, Tanner says she’s thrilled with the outcome.
“I remember texting my mom saying, ‘If I can just keep 50% of my hair, I’ll be happy.’ I was terrified I’d lose it all. Thanks to Penguin, I kept around 85%, and that completely changed my whole chemo experience. My mental health would’ve been so much worse without it.”
“Me and my 85% of hair can’t thank Penguin enough.”
Tanner’s story is a beautiful reminder that even in the hardest moments, there are small victories that make a big difference.
“I’m so grateful for Penguin,” she says. “Keeping my hair helped me hold on to a little piece of normal, and that meant everything.”
Get in touch
If you’re about to undergo chemotherapy and want to find out more about cold capping, why not request a call back? Our reps can provide more information, and answer all of your questions.
Just click here, complete the callback form and your local rep will be in touch.