Mall-goers flock to hair bazaar to benefit cancer patients

MANILA, Philippines - Having a haircut was not in Abby Aborde’s immediate plans but she submitted herself to a hairstylist after finding out that her hair would be made into a wig for cancer patients at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).

Aborde, 25, of Cavite, said she went to SM Manila yesterday just to have lunch and chanced upon the charity bazaar of the Mu Sigma Phi Sorority of the University of the Philippines-College of Medicine at the mall’s event center.

When she learned that by having a haircut, manicure or pedicure at the bazaar she would be able to help cancer patients, Aborde decided to have a haircut.

“My last haircut was in December so I was really planning to have a haircut, but not now. I’m here just to have lunch. But since this is for the benefit of cancer patients, I decided to just get a haircut now,” she said in an interview.

The bazaar was organized by the sorority to collect hair that would be made into wigs and donated to cancer patients who lose their hair after chemotherapy. The proceeds would also be used to renovate the play area for pediatric patients at the UP Cancer Institute.

Actress Yayo Aguila, who attended the bazaar, spoke on behalf of her sister-in-law, cancer survivor Liezl Martinez.

“I’m happy for my sister-in-law because I see her go through chemotherapy and she is now a cancer survivor... I can really relate to the situation of having a cancer patient in the family,” she said.

Aguila recalled that she lost two maternal aunts to cancer, one of whom died only three months ago. She said that a few years before her mother died of a heart ailment in 2007, she was diagnosed with cancer in the uterus.

“So it’s really in our family. I cannot deny that I also get scared by that but then I’m very confident that with the new technology that we have right now, early detection and the way we take care of ourselves, we can prevent that,” she said.

Asked by The STAR how Martinez coped with losing her hair due to chemotherapy, Aguila said her sister-in-law was hardly affected.

“Ate Liezl is a very positive person. Even when her hair was already falling off, she was not bothered at all. Of course at the start, I knew she was bothered but she immediately coped. Maybe because she immediately accepted her illness. It really depends on your acceptance,” she said.

Aguila claimed that Martinez never wore wigs but preferred to use a bandana.

UP Cancer Institute director Dr. Jorge Ignacio lauded the project, saying that it could boost the morale and self-esteem of cancer patients, especially women, who experience hair loss.

“When patients feel nice about themselves, they tend to tolerate the treatment well. So if they can somehow maintain a nice feeling about themselves, the beauty is not lost, it gives them a feeling that ‘I can do this, I can go through chemotherapy although it is difficult,’” Ignacio said.

He said one’s well-being also plays a role in the survival and recovery of patients.

He said that patients, especially women, are usually advised “to scout for the best wigs” before starting chemotherapy.

“We want them to maintain their looks. Some of them get to like their wigs. Hair is really a big concern for women, especially the young ones – teenagers, adolescents,” Ignacio said.