Day oncology and community wig service celebrate

The St John of God Berwick Hospital Day Oncology Unit celebrated it's second anniversary on Saturday 18th March 2017. The celebration and reflection also recognised the first anniversary of the Community Wig Service.

21 Mar 2017

21 March 2017

Patients, ex-patients, carers, donors, families and caregivers joined together to celebrate the health of those who have left the unit and also to reflect and remember those who were not so fortunate.

There was a happy vibe as the gathering paid tribute to the dedication of local donors who have assisted with funding the Community Wig Service and applauded the efforts of the fully trained team of volunteers who run the service.

The Community Wig Service, a social outreach initiative, is a free wig loan library which is available to anyone (not just SJGBH patients) in the local area who is suffering from cancer related hair loss.

Since 2015 the hospital has received almost $60,000 in donations to help us establish and operate the Community Wig Service. Since officially launching in April 2016, the service has assisted almost 100 people in choosing a high quality wig for the duration of their chemotherapy treatment. Currently there are over 150 wigs in the collection – a number which is continuously growing.

Facts:

All our volunteer wig fitters receive professional wig fitting training.
We have 8 fully trained wig fitters (2 are qualified hairdressers).
On average a good quality wig costs in the region of $175 – 250 (wholesale price) and has a lifecycle of 3 loans.
All clients receive a gift bag that includes: bamboo wig cap, nylon net cap, brush, hair & skin products, care instructions. A clipping service is also available if required.
When wigs are returned they are professionally sterilised, repaired and re-styled ready for re-loan. Cost is: ($45 per wig)

Wig range:

All the wigs are synthetic hair - both machine made and hand stitched wigs are found in the collection.
We include ‘smartlace’ fronted wigs to give a natural hairline.
We include ‘open cap’ wigs that are 50% lighter than traditional wigs and provide superior ventilation.
We include ‘monofilament’ wigs which are the most innovative cap construction on the market today. This cap construction reduces scratchiness and irritation on the scalp. The cap also provides versatility as the hair can be parted in any direction.

The Community Wig Service relies on donations to operate and grow. Donation enquiries can be emailed.