The Hope Foundation for Cancer Care, which makes wigs for people with cancer to use free of charge, said it has received more hair donations in the past two years than it has funds to make use of.
Foundation chief executive officer Elaine Su (蘇連瓔) said hair donations have been pouring in over the past two years, with more than 900kg of hair sitting in its offices and in a wig factory waiting to be used.
She said that the 26,620 bundles of hair received in 2015 and 33,840 bundles last year are significantly more than the foundation received previously, when it was able to make use of all hair donations.
Only three months into this year, it has already received 4,919 bundles, she said.
The 30cm bundles of hair that get donated take on average 1.5 years to grow, Su said, adding that the hair can be kept for one year at most before it must be made into a wig.
“If we do not use the hair quickly, I’m afraid the kindness of people who donate will have been for nothing,” she said.
Su said she hopes the foundation can raise the NT$3 million (US$98,036) needed to make the hair into 1,000 wigs.
One wig can be used by up to three people before it must be replaced, Su said, adding that people use wigs for nine months to a year on average.
Most of the people who come to the foundation have breast cancer, lymphoma or leukemia, Su said, adding that it helped 1,100, 1,433 and 2,192 patients in 2014, 2015 and last year respectively.
A 37-year-old surnamed Hsieh (謝) said that while she was undergoing treatment for cancer she lost large clumps of hair.
She said that she would not go outdoors for six months straight because of her hair loss.
Hsieh said she regained her confidence after another patient introduced her to the foundation and she borrowed a wig for the first time.
Su said wigs are important for cancer patients, because they let them face treatment in a positive manner.
The foundation has 457 wigs at its three offices across Taiwan, Su said, adding that with sufficient donations of money it can increase its inventory to help more people.
Those who want to donate can send money via a bank transfer to the Hope Foundation for Cancer Care account No. 50191500 with a note indicating that its for wigs.
“Even a donation of NT$500 is of great help,” Su said.
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