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Cold Capping for Cancer Patients

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As many of you know, one year ago today I was diagnosed with breast cancer…three weeks before my 40th birthday.  It has been a hard road, but I’m doing well and feeling almost fully recovered.  As my 41st birthday approaches in the coming weeks, I am thinking about how I can make the pain of being a cancer patient a little bit lighter for others. 

 I was able to keep most of my hair during chemo, thanks to a process called “cold-capping”.  Cold Cap Therapy involves the use of a special set of caps, cooled to very cold temperatures, and worn for a period of hours before, during and after each chemotherapy treatment.  It is believed that the cold temperature constricts the blood vessels leading to the hair follicles, reducing the amount of chemo drugs that reach the follicles during the period that the caps are worn.  This process has been in use in Europe for over 20 years. Many thousands of patients in the United States have learned of and successfully used Cold Cap Therapy in the last few years.

 Why doesn’t every cancer patient do cold-capping, then?  Chances are they don’t know about it, or it is just too expensive to consider since insurance does not cover it.  The cost is usually between $1500-$2500, depending on how many chemo treatments are necessary.  According to editorials in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, February 2017), a majority of patients consider hair loss to be the most dreaded aspect of chemotherapy, and some fear losing their hair so much that they decide to forego chemotherapy entirely.  Think about that….they would rather take the risk of DYING rather than lose their hair.

 In honor of my one-year anniversary of the diagnosis, as well as for my 41st birthday on March 14, I’d like to free other cancer patients of this difficult part of their journey.  I’ve teamed up with Overlook Foundation to raise money to help cover cold-capping for patients at Overlook Hospital.  100% of any money raised will go directly to this cause, and the social workers at the hospital will help to decide who will receive the donated funds for cold-capping treatment. 

 Will you help me to help them?  While I was going through treatment, so many people asked how they could help, and I really had no answer.  Now I do…..THIS is how everybody can help.  Every little bit counts!  Thank you in advance for your support, and Happy Birthday to Me!

Kelly

PS)  If you’d rather write a check, you can make it payable to “Overlook Foundation” and forward it to me.  Please write “Kelly’s Cold-Caps” in the memo.  You will receive a donation letter for tax purposes.
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Donations 

  • Norma Mangum
    • $25 
    • 6 yrs
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Organizer

Kelly Mayer Sommers
Organizer
Cranford, NJ

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