Non-profit conducts hair donation campaign for cancer patients

CHENNAI: Chennai-based charitable trust, The Cherian Foundation, is collaborating with four hospitals in India to organise the 10th edition of their hair donation campaign ‘Gift Hair Gift Confidence’. This campaign aims to empower cancer survivors by providing them holistic medical assistance free of cost and also gifting wigs to people from economically deprived backgrounds.

Speaking to DT Next about the campaign, Sara Benjamin Cherian, trustee of The Cherian Foundation, says, “As a part of our healthcare initiative we have been organising the hair donation drives for 10 years now. Coming from a family of wig-makers, we have donated over 1,000 wigs free of cost to cancer survivors.

“We work with the psycho-oncology wards in various hospitals and give them the wigs to distribute among the patients who cannot afford to buy one. All these years we have been working with Adyar Cancer Institute for the donation campaign. Marking the 20th year of our foundation we will be giving 250 wigs to four hospitals, Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, Arignar Anna Hospital in Kancheepuram, CNCI in Kolkata, and Gujarat Cancer Institute, across India.”

She says for people belonging to the lower-income strata, cancer means the end. She remarks how they think that it is the end of life and there is no hope for treatment. “Many of them are not even aware that they can avail treatment and even if they know, they are hesitant because of how expensive it can get. We partner with hospitals and help them get what they need. At an age of mental health, it goes without saying that everyone must have equal access to it and that’s also what we work on.”

Sara Benjamin Cherian, trustee of The Cherian Foundation

Sara says after this edition she hopes to take the campaign on a bigger scale so that more people can benefit from it. “Without the donors this campaign is nothing. I would like to extend my gratitude to all the donors who have been part of this initiative and made it bigger,” she smiles.