Given my own family and personal history, I confess that I often focus on women’s cancers.  An email from a customer last year prompted me to take a closer look at children’s cancers and National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.  I’ve always been slightly shattered by my conversations with mothers of young girls confronting cancer and in need of a pretty and uplifting head scarf.  I am glad that I can offer something to uplift and put a smile on a young girl’s face.  Upon taking a closer look at the national statistics on childhood cancers, I was floored and will never let another September pass without directing our collective attention to childhood cancers.  It was as recently as September 13, 2008 that the Senate resolution was passed officially making September our country’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.  Given the following statistics, one has to wonder why it took so long.Cancer is the second overall leading cause of death of children in the U.S.Each school day, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer.Eighty percent of children have metastatic disease at time of diagnosis as compared to only 20 percent of adults.Currently, only 2% of federal funding for cancer research is directed at solving cancers that impact our children.So in addition to displaying our gold ribbons in recognition of this important month, I found a couple other ways individuals can help make a difference.

The first is by supporting a fundraising collaboration between CURE Childhood Cancer and AirTran Airways. In recognition of September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, AirTran Airways is supporting CURE in their mission by offering a $20 voucher - good on any airline ticket on AirTran Airways through December 16, 2010 - to every person who donates at least $20 to CURE during the month of September.You can also support CURE and individual children touched by cancer through CURE’s “Kids Conquer Cancer One Day at a Time!”  Special CURE Kids will be featured each day for the entire month of September, each having been personally affected by childhood cancer.  Some featured children will be in the midst of their precious fight, some have conquered the disease, and some have lost the battle and will be honored on their special day.  Each day, the featured children and their families have committed to reaching out to their networks in an effort to each raise $1,000 to benefit CURE Childhood Cancer.  You can help CURE in their goal of raising $60,000 in the month of September while honoring special CURE kids each day of the month who have been affected by childhood cancer. Go for the gold and help cure childhood cancer!

Susan Beausang, President

4Women.com

Indian runway model Diandra Soares understands the 4Women.com motto perfectly:  you do not need your hair to maintain your sense of style!  No, the lovely bald Diandra is not undergoing chemotherapy or dealing with Alopecia Areata.  Instead, she heads over to the local men’s barber shop for a “cheap and chic double shave, topped with olive oil.  Or if I’m running late - I just shave the stubble off with my boyfriend’s razor.”  Diandra chooses to be bald, and she is becoming increasingly successful in the modeling industry because of her lack of hair.

Diandra began her modeling career after she won a beauty contest when she was fifteen but only became popular in the industry after she shaved her hair completely off.  Diandra has explained that the sole reason she decided to go bald was because “it was something I always wanted to try.  The sensation is amazing - that feeling of the breeze flying past your clean head, water flowing down without being blocked by hair…and sand trickling down your head smoothly is magical!”  ….and she recommends every woman shave their head at least once in their life to experience that feeling.  If only we could all have that same brave attitude!

She let her hair grow back over the years, and just this summer she decided to shave it all off yet again.  After her locks were gone, her modeling career exploded to the point that she was opening runway shows at the Wills India Fashion Week and has walked the runways of major top fashion designers such as Versace and Armani.  Without hair, Diandra becomes somebody instead of just anybody.  She stands out among the other runway models and truly makes a statement  that is powerful and unique.

Love your bald self, ladies!

Inspiration comes in many forms and from many different sources.  But when it comes to fashion, more often than not, our inspiration for the clothes we buy and the style we choose comes from the glossy pages of a fashion magazine, glamorous images from web pages, or from the television and movie screens.  We are constantly surrounded by endless images of beautiful celebrities and models promoting the latest fashion and beauty trends.  But have you ever asked yourself why we so diligently emulate the styles of celebrities?

Part of the answer is scientific, according to Dutch neuro-scientists who released a study this past month.  The study showed that the part of our brain that is involved in cognitive decision making - the medial orbitofrontal cortex - lights up each time we see a celebrity of the same sex displaying eye-catching clothing or accessories!

Part two of the answer to our question lies in the enticing glamour, fabulous fame, and the elite social statuses of celebrities.  We may not realize it, but we imitate them in the hopes to capture some of that essence for ourselves.

Fashion icons have been influencing the way we dress for decades.  From Marilyn Monroe’s iconic white dress to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ impeccable fashion taste that spread like wildfire throughout the country - or even all the way to Sarah Jessica Parker’s inspirational shoe collection as Carrie in the Sex & the City empire, celebrities consistently create style trends.  Fashion conscious stars such as Katie Holmes have the ability to sum up a mood of the season by just a few paparazzi snapshots.

We all remember the acid washed jeans and shoulder pads of the 80’s, made popular by icons such as Cory Heart, Billy Idol, and Madonna.  However, while many of us would like to forget much (or all!) of our 1980’s wardrobe, it appears that celebrities are still hungry for clothing that represents that era, such as leggings and off-the-shoulder tees.  That style has made a huge comeback this past year due to such celebrity enthusiasts like Hillary Duff, Lindsay Lohan, Heidi Klum and Victoria Beckham. Suddenly, leggings are everywhere and off-the-shoulder looks are the hot new trend!  This is no surprise, though.  History has shown us time and time again that Hollywood stars have an undeniable ability to influence the style of the masses.  Some of these looks are manufactured by stylists, however others are truly spontaneous.  Shopping for an outfit reminiscent of the one you have seen your favorite star wear has been a socially accepted practice in our culture for decades, and it is also an exciting and pleasurable experience.

But what happens when women who used to enjoy such activities are suddenly thrown a fashion curve ball when they experience a drastic appearance change due to medical hair loss or any other abrupt deviation from what our society considers “the norm”? Former admiration for beautiful and healthy celebrities is transformed into a very personal desire to feel attractive again.  Women who experience sudden appearance change often disconnect from their normal life.  They tend to feel alienated from fashion and fame.  Whether or not we care to admit it, for women, our appearance DOES matter to us, and when fighting a battle against any disease, changes in appearance (such as hair loss) can be mentally devastating.  It is important to realize that times like those are the most important to know how to love oneself.

Women confronting drastic appearance changes yearn for normalcy.  I know when I lost my own hair, I was never  more acutely aware of images of women with hair and how I lost my ability to relate.  My sense of style remained, however none of my outfits or accessories looked the same without my crowning glory!

I’ve yet to find a fashion magazine  that highlights women without hair when portraying the season’s latest trends.  I’m  patiently waiting  for Hollywood to pick up the slack with its fictional female characters undergoing chemotherapy.  From Murphy’s cancer battle on Murphy Brown, to Lynette of Desperate Housewives, and Samantha from Sex & the City - television has been a prime venue for Hollywood to portray a woman suffering from medical hair loss.  Two current examples of Hollywood depicting medical hair loss are found in the series “Brothers & Sisters” and, more recently, “General Hospital.”  As our former blogs on these depictions stated, the female bald characters were forced to wear a variety of unattractive and unfeminine head covering options.

Example one: In “Brothers & Sisters,” character Kitty Walker is portrayed as a successful, bold and defiant woman with solid conservative beliefs.  When she loses her hair during her cancer treatment, her head wear options do not reflect at all upon her character’s steadfast outlook on life.  Rather, the lumpy turbans she adorns call to mind  the head wear of bearded Middle Eastern men!

Example two: In “General Hospital,” character Shirley Smith, a kind and classy older woman suffering from brain cancer, is thrown into the General Hospital cast to mix things up at the hospital with her frank and down-to-earth cool temper.  Yet, what do they adorn her baldness with but a childish arts and crafts-esque get up!

Hollywood continues to further stigmatize women with hair loss by portraying them in  old fashioned and outdated head wear.  Women still want to fit in with society when they lose their hair.  They do not desire to stand out as different or sick.  When Hollywood portrays female cancer patients in century-old turbans and lumpy head wraps, it seems as if writers and stylists don’t think their storyline would be supported without such typical head coverings.  It almost seems as if the chosen head wear is meant to emphasize their illness.  Don’t they get that woman can lose her hair and STILL remain fashionable and stylish?  Don’t they get that when women are sick it is even MORE important to try and not draw attention to their baldness? Instead, the continued portrayal in unflattering head wraps causes the pubic to shudder at the possibility that if they were to be diagnosed with cancer and lose their hair, those outdated ugly turbans would be their only options.

The opportunity to help empower us through positive imagery is one that should never be passed up.

Calling all Hollywood stylists!  You still have a chance to redeem yourself in the eyes of the bald and the beautiful.  We’ve seen too many of these outdated options - it’s time to show us something feminine, flowing and fashionable.  There are plenty of scarf options to choose from.  Get with it and keep in mind;  we’ll be watching!

Susan M. Beausang, Bald and Stylin’

4women.com

Hollywood continues to pass up opportunities to portray women without hair in a fashionable and dignified manner.  General Hospital’s current series has fictional character Shirley Smith undergoing chemotherapy for brain cancer. Shirley has lost all of her hair and is seen wearing an outdated turban type of head wrap.  Millions of women are watching this show and may be led to believe that this type of head wear is the only thing available if they should ever be faced with their own hair loss.

General Hospital possesses access to an enormous platform.  I received a phone call from a cancer survivor who lost her own hair to chemotherapy and she was indignant that Hollywood continues to portray their characters in unflattering head wraps.  Why not portray this character in a pretty head scarf that will enhance her beauty and compliment her character.

Please General Hospital - give Shirley some style and help women realize that just because they have lost their hair does not mean they have lost their style!

Susan Beausang

4women.com

Bustling and bursting with herds of people per usual, Atlanta INTL airport was thankfully the last layover before Susan and I would arrive in Indianapolis for the 2010 National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF) Conference. Just before boarding the final leg of our flight, Susan became aware that a beautiful young bald girl, (who we would soon learn was named Kayla), was earnestly smiling at Susan in her beaubeau scarf. They exchanged knowingly bald looks and soon struck up a conversation. She immediately asked if we were going to the NAAF Conference. When Susan replied yes she was, and yes she also had Alopecia.  Kayla simply lit up! Her instant friendly manner echoed her delight at meeting someone heading to the same place as she, with the same purpose. She jumped out of her seat and recited a story that quickly had us laughing, a little comedian in the making; what a personality this child had! Precocious and sly, I would have many more welcome interactions with Kayla and other children like her.

We arrived on a beautiful day in Indianapolis, thankfully devoid of the standard Florida summer humidity. Immediately upon walking into the Hyatt Regency’s Indianapolis lobby 5 adorable bald children flashed past me in a rush of giggles and pure joy. Not ten seconds later I saw a few hairless ladies having a pleasant conversation as they waited to check into their room. While most people seeing these individuals hair loss would immediately think “cancer”, I knew the real reason behind their hairless heads, and could thus be delighted at the happy communion I was privileged to witness. Working for 4Women.com, a company that designs headscarves for women and girls with medical hair loss, enabled me to understand that these people had Alopecia. Susan,  4Women’s president, had taught me a great deal about the disease, her experience with it, and how it affects those diagnosed. The people I had seen were just a handful of the over 600 attendees of the NAAF 2010 Conference.

For three days I was immersed in this little-known counter culture, full of quite extraordinary personalities, beautiful faces, and rowdy children simply thrilled to be among other people just like them. Because Alopecia is a widely misunderstood disease that  most people have never heard of, the NAAF conference is an unusually safe place for these individuals. Creating awareness about this disease is a major theme of these conferences, and frankly essential, because without it, each Alopecians begin to expect the same scenario when they are earnestly approached by a stranger. Often these encounters are heart wrenching, as these strangers have immediately made the assumption that the bald person they are approaching is sick or in treatment, and then they launch into a lengthy tale of their own personal experience with cancer.   Over the weekend I learned that people with Alopecia are used to these stranger’s head jerks, double takes, or sympathetic stares.  It simply goes along with the territory of being bald.

But what reaction should people have in the face of an unknown condition such as Alopecia? Especially when seeing not just one beautiful baldie, but hundreds of these amazing people?! Putting myself in that position I can only imagine. What would I think walking into the Hyatt, seeing thick crowds of hairless heads, and not having the answer of Alopecia to apply to the situation? I’m sure my initial assumption would be along the lines of illness and chemotherapy.  However , observing the Alopecian’s behavior for even a moment at the NAAF conference  would make me wonder about my assumption.  Energy flows through them quite clearly, they do not move, speak, or behave in a sick way.  One thing to remember, however, is that most stares are perfectly normal.  A congregation of bald people is not an everyday sight!

While I have interacted with Alopecians since I began working for Susan in 2009, , these interactions have been mostly telephone based. Prior to meeting so many people at the conference,  I really had no idea how special and vibrant these people are. Susan  gifted me with the opportunity to meet and get to know several of her friends. These women possessed a quality I don’t normally see in many people, as they really and truly embraced life with open arms; they “got it”. All too often the little things in life can get us down, distract us from what is really important, and block our ability to be open to all of life’s experiences. Yet despite the emotional upheaval these women and kids may have endured during and after their Alopecia diagnosis, they were not ones to focus on the little things.   They were the ones out to have a good time and to enjoy life!  Each conversation during my experience at the conference confirmed this. When it came time to leave I felt a tinge of sadness, knowing I was walking away from a collection of uniquely exceptional people, and feeling so thankful for all of the interactions I had during my stay. But then again, there is always next year. See you in LA!

Jillian Walker

4Women.com

Has anyone else out there tuned in to any of last week’s Today Show series on women and hair, titled “It’s All About Hair”? I happened to catch the Thursday, June 3rd piece discussing why women are obsessed with their hair. I’d like to share some of the thoughts and responses I found myself sharing with the television.

According to a poll cited by The Today Show, women in the U.S. spend $7.5 billion/year on hair care products alone, and according to a British survey, the average woman spends 2.5 years of her life trussing, mussing and fussing with her hair. Clearly, these are astonishing statistics that provide evidence of our obsession with our hair, but is that really the whole story of who we are as women and what priorities guide us?

As I watched my television screen, I became more and more offended. There they were, three media faces, two VH1 television hosts and the editor-in-chief of Glamour Magazine, attempting to represent all of us with their voices and hair obsessions. Missing were all those women who do not have a personal make-up and hair styling crew, who head off to a job each morning that does not include appearing on 10’s or 100’s of thousands of televisions screens across the U.S. and/or globe in hopes of selling a magazine, a TV show, stocks in the corporately owned television stations, or beauty products. Missing were the business owners, moms, school teachers, grandmothers, dentists, soccer coaches, grocery story cashiers, marathon runners, political activists, scientists, doctors, etc, etc, etc that we are. So since The Today Show left us out, I thought I’d bring us into the discussion as I believe WE are the majority.

I would be the last woman to argue that a woman’s hair is not hugely significant to her identity or that how a woman wears her hair does not play an important role in how she projects herself to others. Having lost all of my hair to Alopecia Universalis, I know better than most what contribution my hair previously made to my overall sense of femininity, beauty, and self-confidence. I talk about it and write about it all the time. But even as a woman who faces the lifelong challenge of feeling “normal,” feminine, and beautiful without hair, I have to challenge the total lack of balance and shallowness that these women portrayed with the  preposterous notion that they were representing all of us.  Here are just a few examples…

“Nothing says more about a woman than the way she wears her hair…” said a NYC male hair stylist interviewed for The Today Show piece. “Oh really?” I loudly responded to the television screen. How shallow that this male stylist could state that a woman’s hair speaks greater volumes  to her personality than her role in society as a mother, daughter, doctor, or judge? Does hair convey more than the car she drives - Hummer vs. Prius? More than the dreams she holds for herself and her family? More than her religious beliefs?  Do people really believe that more than anything else, it’s how we wear our hair!?

According to one Ms. VH1 Host, hair is a woman’s shorthand way of telling the world what type of woman we are, whether we are an individual, wash-and-go, empowered, etc. In other words, you can’t be wash-and-go and still be individual or empowered. Apparently empowerment is having a hair styling crew and spending $7.5 billion on hair care products, all of which include an endless blend of carcinogens and health-damaging toxins. Is it really possible to believe that it is not through personal achievement, but  by endlessly copying celebrity images that we become empowered, that we discover our individual worth? Wow. These ladies had quite the manicured hairdo’s, but I’m glad I don’t live in their world. They might look at Lady Gaga and see “creative” or “happy,” but I see a mask and stage costume. Of course Lady Gaga is a real person with blood, a heart, a brain, and human stories I could identify with, such as - once a little girl, wishes to be loved, now speaking openly with Larry King about an autoimmune disease like Lupus running in her family. If I want to know what type of person someone is, I don’t look to their hair, I look to their heart. I feel sorry for those who think it’s all in the hair or more generally, on the outside. I wonder if true friendship and human connection is something they ever get to experience.

I had to laugh when Meredith Vieira made the statement “hair makes a political statement.” After each of her previous statements, her three representatives would immediately burst with an endless string of statements reinforcing ten times over how “we women equal our hair” and, my personal favorite,  “our hair is us”. As for “political statements,” I did hear a speechless breath from one of her representatives. Unfortunately, not one of them had a word to add so Meredith had to fill in her own response. That said it all, these women may equal their hair and they may define other women by their hair, but I am thankful to report that there’s a whole lot more going on both outside and inside the rest of us.

It will be interesting to watch the remaining segments of “Hair Obsession”. Thank goodness I don’t live life in front of a camera.

Susan M. Beausang

4women.com

Have you ever considered why your eyebrows are such an important feature on your face? Consider this - almost 50% of communication is done non-verbally. We tend to use many parts of our body to communicate, however, our face is arguably the most expressive part of our body.  Our eyes alone can reveal many emotions such as anger, fear, or sadness but one feature that is often overlooked is the important role our eyebrows play in our ability to communicate non-verbally.  Our eyebrows are actually the most expressive facial feature that we have!  Personally, I never gave much thought to those small patches of hair over my eyes until I lost them to Alopecia Universalis.  It is only now that I am”eyebrowless” that I care to learn more about the function of brows in our culture.

It surprised me to learn that the fact that we have two brows may be the remnants of our evolutionary ancestors.  Full facial hair slowly gave way to two bushy brows that evolved for a degree of protection from shielding our eyes from rain, dirt  and sweat irritation.  Of course, our eyebrows play a very important role in facial recognition and as a means of communication.

Today, our tweezed, plucked, waxed, trimmed, pierced and painted brows are clearly associated with beauty.  Even men are trimming away fly away brow hairs for a neater appearance.  My research enlightened me to the fact that 18th century women believed that full and bushy eyebrows were quite attractive. Women would go through great lengths to enhance their existing brows by securing bushy hair attachments to their wispy brows.  Today the benchmark for fashionable brows seems to be a thin high arched line, quiet different from the 18th century bushy variety!

We can express our feelings with our facial expressions but it is our eyebrows that can relay specific moods or emotions.  Eyebrow movement can express fear, surprise, aggression, astonishment or even sadness to name a few. Raised eyebrows can express an acceptance or un-acceptance for social behavior, or may indicate confusion.  Lowered eyebrows can express annoyance or displeasure or even deception.  It’s amazing the level of non-verbal communication power held by a 2 inch strip of hair!

Another role for our brows is aiding in facial recognition amongst a wide diversity of faces. One can usually discriminate between male or female by just looking at one’s brows!   So what does all of this mean to those of us who are “eyebrow deficient”?  Personally, I think eyebrows are over rated!  I’ve lived without them for 9 years and I will challenge anyone  with brows to a non-verbal communication contest on any given day. With a brush of a stroke, I can draw angry brows, sad brows, condemning brows, happy brows - depends on my mood - or I can go sans brows and remain anonymous.  I have options - I can have thick brows - I can have pencil thin brows.  I don’t require any tweezing, plucking or waxing.  I’m brow maintenance free!  The brow has sometimes been referred to as the “face’s forgotten feature”.  I’ve truly forgotten what it feels like to have normal brows but it’s really okay! Either way it is an interesting topic.

Susan M. Beausang

President, 4Women.com

Mothers Day is a day to reflect on our love for Mom and to recognize that nothing else contributes to our own strengths, confidence and ability to love than having been loved deeply and unconditionally by our Mothers.  Mothers Day has also become a day of activism among women and families touched by cancer.

This year Mothers Day has been designated as “Women’s Health and Cancer Awareness Day”! Individuals, teams, organizations and communities everywhere are using this day to advocate for the well-being of Mothers.  Mothers Day has also become a time to get out and get moving in solidarity, in memory of loved ones and in an effort to raise the funds that will enable us to defeat cancer.

Ten years ago, my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. I traveled to NYC on Mothers Day weekend to join her team in the Revlon Run/Walk for Women, a premier event to raise money for the fight against women’s cancer. I began this race with a heavy heart as this was my second sister to be diagnosed with breast cancer.  It was quite an emotional event for me to see so many thousands of participants with a common mission - to support a mother, sister, aunt or just a friend in the battle against women’s cancer. I was enveloped in a massive sea of strangers, all deeply connected by a determination to beat cancer.  This event opened my eyes to the empowering and inspiring roles these events play in our collective experiences with cancer.

This massive movement to raise awareness through athletic endeavors has been steadily growing over the past decade as well as the notion that moderate exercise during cancer therapy is not only safe and possible, but it can actually improve physical functioning and quality of life!  Many cancer care teams are now urging their patients to be as physically active as possible during their treatment.   Participating in a cancer awareness event may be just what you need to transform exercise into a source of fun, stress relief, hope and a sense of solidarity and empowerment.  Time to get moving to “unite and fight” and together we can do our part to try and banish cancer from our lives and those of our children.

Some premier events worth noting:

Yoga Unites for Living Beyond Breast Cancer, Revlon Run/Walk for Women, Walk to Empower (held in 10 Cities), Mother’s Day Classic (Australia), Susan G Komen Mother’s Day Race for the Cure - held in many cities!

Susan M. Beausang

4women.com

Color, color everywhere - what does it all mean?  Color is an integral part of our lives from the age of 2 months when we begin to distinguish individual colors as well as the rest of the world! Our color memory is filled with associative hues from birthday balloons, cupcakes, the 4th of July, spring flowers, or the parade of bathing suits, to name a few.  For millennium the human race has employed the light spectrum for our visual pleasure, but have you even considered that colors have more than an aesthetic appeal?  Why is it that you prefer one color over the hundreds of others, or why some people feel better surrounded by light blue versus dark green?  Brain stimulation obviously plays a central part in color cognition, but how, and why?

The science of the use of colors to affect physical and psychological states is called “Chromotherapy”.  This concept attempts to explain the emotional connection we have to colors and perhaps explain how we come to have “favorite colors” and why.  For example, bright pops of color usually illustrate enjoyable and happy moods, while darker colors are often associated with melancholy atmospheres.  It has been shown that colors we see every day, such as those in advertising campaigns, films, magazines, and even food packaging, actually do affect the way we feel.

Aside from the scientific aspect of light, energy and electromagnetic radiation, there is no doubt that colors play a huge part in how we interpret different experiences and environments.  Perhaps one of the most important times to remember this is when dealing with a debilitating illness or tragedy.  Lifting your spirits during such times can help enormously with the coping process. Take a look at the chromotherapy based interpretations, and see if any analogies arise between these interpretations and the actual way these colors make you feel!

Red:  Brings warmth, energy and stimulation, therefore good for energy, fatigue, colds, chilly and passive people.

Orange:  Warm, cheering, non-constricting.  Orange has a freeing action upon the body and mind, relieving repressions.

Yellow:  Helps strengthen the nerves and the mind. It helps awaken mental inspiration and stimulates higher mentality.

Green: The color of nature and the earth!  Green is balance and harmony in essence and possesses a soothing influence upon both mind and body.

Blue:  Cooling, electric, astringent and brings tranquility.

Indigo:  A great purifier of the bloodstream and also benefits mental problems.

Violet/Purple:  Colors of transformation - bring spiritual insights and renewal.

White: The perfect color as it is all colors - perfect balance and harmony.

Magenta:  Strengthens  contact with your life purpose, stimulates adrenaline and heart activity.

Pink:  Heals grief and sadness, restores youthfulness, brings you in contact with your feelings.

Turquoise:  Increases intuition and sensitivity, tones the general system, builds the skin, relaxes sensations of stress.

Just color me happy, please!

Susan M. Beausang

4women.com

TAKE THIS SHORT SURVEY! 

Help us to help others!  I receive daily testimonials from around the world about the way in which our beaubeau™ scarves make a huge difference for women faced with medical hair loss. I am thanked for providing a fashionable option that allows women to maintain their dignity and style during this process. Many of you participated in our last survey regarding the emotional impact of medical hair loss. Your valuable input helped us to foster a better understanding of the emotional consequences of hair loss among the public and especially among the medical professionals.  I am determined to have our fears and emotions recognized!

4Women.com is conducting a second brief survey in an effort to identify existing cancer support strategies and programs that empower women to turn their anxiety about chemo-induced hair loss into proactive action, as well as to identify unmet needs for such support.  Few of life’s obstacles challenge us physically and emotionally as does a cancer diagnosis and treatment.Many of our loved ones reach out and want to help us cope with our disease.  But what  we want to do more than just cope?  Anxiety can be mentally and emotionally paralyzing, but turning that anxiety into proactive action aimed at increasing our sense of control over the changes taking place in our body can help us to remember we are living life, not just coping.

Anticipatory coping is the process of anticipation and preparation for a major change. In the context of chemo-induced hair loss, anticipatory coping may play a key role in helping women to not just cope, but to rise above the drastic assault to their self-esteem posed by sudden hair loss.  Providing women with the information and resources they need to turn anticipation of hair loss into proactive action is key.

I ask and encourage each of you to take this anonymous, 5-question survey and share as much as you can regarding your medical hair loss experience.  By doing so, you will help me to get the word out so that those  women and  girls who follow in our footsteps will have access to cancer care designed to both cure the cancer and heal the person.  Thank you for your participation!

Warm Regards,

Susan M. Beausang, President 4women.com