The new home of the Canadian Cancer Society in Sault Ste. Marie has some new looks for people undergoing active cancer treatment.
As part of its grand re-opening at 143 Great Northern Road, the local branch of the national organization has launched a resource room containing a number of wigs, headwear, prosthetics and bras for cancer patients.
“That was a nice new feature that we really wanted to emphasize and bring to this beautiful new space,” said Maria Cabral, regional manager for Canadian Cancer Society offices in Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie. “It’s important that people, not only from Sault Ste. Marie but from surrounding areas, have a place to come and access wigs.”
The new resource room contains nearly 100 wigs of various styles and colours, all of which have been donated as the result of an ongoing partnership between the Canadian Cancer Society and hair product brand Pantene.
The wigs, valued at about $1,000 a piece, will be available to people receiving active cancer treatment in the Algoma District through a lending program.
Cabral says there’s been a similar resource room and lending program in place at the Thunder Bay branch for several years now, which she refers to as ‘the magic room.’
“They come in sad and grey because they’re not feeling well, head down and unhappy,” she said. “It’s as simple as a wig sometimes because hair is so important to ladies, right? They put the wig on and their face lights up, and they’re just walking differently out the door.”
“They still have a cancer diagnosis, but it was one little step that helped them out that day and made them feel a little bit better. It’s terrific.”
The new home of the Canadian Cancer Society has been scaled back - the former office at 390 McNabb Street was 2,000 square feet, and the new office is just 600 square feet - but the organization’s regional manager says that it will offer all the same supports and services as before, including its informational materials, peer support program and transportation for cancer patients.
A lone community fundraising specialist will be on-site at the new office, but the cancer society hopes to enlist the help of volunteers to assist with fundraising events, front-desk reception and transporting cancer patients to radiation and chemotherapy treatment as part of the organization’s ‘wheels of hope’ program.
“We couldn’t do it without volunteers,” said Cabral. “Our staff manpower is very limited, it’s very small.”
“We count on people in the community to be our volunteers and be our ambassadors.”
Potential front-desk volunteers will also help people get fitted for wigs, head-scarves and other accessories available through the new resource room.
“It’s making them a little bit normal,” Cabral said of the resource room. “We know it’s a new normal after you’ve had a cancer diagnosis, but all those little things are us making our way to making someone the normal that they did before they were diagnosed.”