The Bendigo Wig Library has received a donation of $1500 from the Bendigo Fire Brigade, which will go towards purchasing new wigs for cancer patients.
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Bendigo Wig Library founder Sharon Salter said the donation will help keep the library stocked with wigs.
“The donation will enable us to buy 10-15 wigs… also some hair products, it’s wonderful,” Mrs Salter said.
Cancer survivor Karry Gray said when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer she had difficulty finding a wig store in the area, also having no luck shopping online.
“When you shop online you can’t try them on, and it’s pretty hard when you don’t know what it’s going to look like on you.” Mrs Gray said.
“The breast care nurses introduced me to the wig library and I went with my daughter and we had a wonderful experience trying different wigs on, we could make it fun and it was private.”
“Loosing your hair is like loosing your identity. For women to come in here and have a little fun and find something they feel comfortable wearing, gives them back their self-esteem and helps them with the rest of the stuff they have to deal with when they have breast cancer.”
The fire brigade has a long history of supporting cancer patients at Bendigo Health.
Bendigo Fire Brigade chair George Flack said the brigade became involved with the library because a number of volunteer brigade members had partners who had received a breast cancer diagnosis.
“We felt it was a very practical way of assisting women with breast cancer undergoing treatment. If they have hair loss, replacing it with a wig is a way of supporting them,” Mr Flack said.
“To help keep the wig library supporting people, without a cost, we’re doing something good for society.”
The library is at Bendigo Health and provides wigs, hats, scarves and turbans to patients.