Cancer, as we all know, is a deadly disease, and its necessary treatments can affect patients in terrible ways. One of the most common and recognizable side effects of cancer treatment is hair loss. While the loss of hair can have a major impact on adult patients, the impact on children is just as strong and upsetting.
For the little boys and girls who have been affected by cancer and who have lost their hair from chemotherapy, there are groups working to bring back their self-confidence. Organizations like the Little Princess Trust, which is based in the United Kingdom and Ireland, work hard to ensure that children do not have to suffer more than they already are suffering.
According to the organization’s website, “The Little Princess Trust is a children’s cancer charity and our mission is to supply real hair wigs to children suffering with cancer, for the duration of their treatment. ” The wigs are free of charge and are tailored to each individual child.
The organization works with hairdressers and hair suppliers to create a look for each child that was as similar to the child’s previous hairstyle as possible. The wigs are designed to look and feel as realistic as possible.
The Little Princess Trust was founded in 2006 by Wendy and Simon Tarplee, the parents of Hannah Tarplee, who was diagnosed with a Wilms tumor. Unfortunately, Hannah passed away in 2005 after battling the disease. “Hannah was the original Little Princess,” the website reads.
According to the organization, Hannah loved her hair and the loss of it was very traumatic for her. After a struggle of finding a quality wig that she liked, Hannah grew to love wearing her wig. When she passed away, her parents decided the best way to honor her memory was to create the Little Princess Trust.
According to the website, “Since its inception, the charity has now helped thousands of boys and girls … The charity has recently extended its mission to include, when funds allow, the provision of financial assistance for research into the causes of childhood cancers and into minimizing the effects of chemotherapy in children.”
Though the Little Princess Trust is proud to give wigs to these children free of charge, creating the wigs can be an expensive process. But anyone can help a little prince or princess by fundraising for the organization, donating money, or even donating hair to make the wigs.
According to the organization, “In 2013 pop sensation Jessie J kindly donated her hair to us by shaving her head.”
The Little Princess Trust does not only help children with cancer, though. As cited on the website, “We assist children with other conditions which also result in hair loss, the most common being alopecia … Despite being set up to help children with cancer, the Trust is able to supply children that do not have a cancer diagnosis with a single wig.”
Last year, the organization raised more than £4,500,000. “This fantastic support meant that we were in a position to give away over 1,000 free wigs to sick children last year.”
With the continued support of donations and fundraising, the Little Princess Trust can continue to provide free, realistic, and tailored wigs for children who are suffering from cancer and other diseases. Because of organizations like this, the emotional trauma of hair loss can be slightly reduced, and children like Hannah Tarplee can enjoy their wigs.
Featured Image by Ed Garcia on Flickr
Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
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Tracey
July 14, 2017 at 7:45 pm
This is great. Keep up the good work.