On Sunday October 28, ABC Verdun was filled with crowds of people who had come from across Lebanon for one unified mission: to make the cut and donate their hair to patients fighting cancer. Women, children, and even men, lined up for a chance to donate at least 20 centimetres of their hair at the hands of L’Oréal Professionnel’s talented hairdressers who joined “scissors”, to offer complimentary haircuts and styling on this special occasion.
Nearly 60% of cancer patients lose their hair due to chemotherapy and often avoid being seen in public. To enable them feel more comfortable with their appearance during this difficult period, L’Oréal professionnel, in collaboration with the Lebanese Breast Cancer Foundation (LBCF), organised for the fourth running year “I TOOK THE CUT”, a hair donation campaign.
On the D-day, donors and supporters expressed their enthusiasm and solidarity towards the cause. Their active participation and positivity resulted in a very upbeat ambiance enriched by the 20 hairdressers’ charitable contribution.
“We are impressed by the enthusiasm people have shown towards this amazing cause, and we are proud of the passion showcased by L’Oréal Professionnel stylists,” said Emilie Wahab, General Manager of L’Oréal Professional Division. “At L’Oréal, we are determined to play an active role in contributing to the well-being of men and women. Thus, we feel it is our responsibility to be involved in this unique initiative, enriching the lives of cancer patients and helping them gain self-esteem, via our network of hairdressers”, she added.
The donated hair will allow LBCF to provide complimentary wigs to patients in need, to help them cope with the side effects of chemotherapy and reinstate their self-confidence, which is very important to the patients’ mental health during the course of treatment. On this specific day, LBCF, headed by Dr. Nagi El Saghir, was also keen to bring specialists on ground to raise awareness, as well as share insights and prevention methods concerning breast cancer.
“We are delighted, at the Lebanese Breast Cancer Foundation, to partner with L’Oréal Professionnel, for the fourth year in a row in “I Took the Cut” which promotes social responsibility and health awareness. This campaign has helped us, and will surely keep doing so in the future, in donating wigs to thousands of patients dealing with chemotherapy and Cancer”, says Dr. El Saghir, President of the Lebanese Breast Cancer Foundation.
This special “I Took the Cut” hair donation event, coinciding with the international breast cancer month to bring added awareness to the cause, exceeded all expectations with more than 1500 ponytails, including previously cut donations that were also dropped off at the venue, equivalent to 63 kilograms of hair. This number should translate into at least 400 wigs. A busy yet extremely rewarding day, marked with fresh new looks at the hands of L’Oreal Professionel hair stylists, who worked non-stop to ensure each donor left with a big smile on her face.
“It is extremely rewarding to see the reactions of patients and their loved ones when they receive a wig produced through this donation program. It may be a small part of their cancer journey, but knowing they can regain a part of themselves has a tremendous impact on their overall well-being” shares Mirna Hoballah, Vice President of the Lebanese Breast Cancer Foundation. “We are so grateful to be able to provide this support through everyone’s contributions,” she added.
The campaign demonstrated a massive success thanks to the contribution of media representatives as well as the strong support from Dima Sadek, Valerie Abou Chacra and Carmen Bsaibes, who took part of the television ad and shared it on Social Media. These collective contributions helped spread the message across the country and reined in support from associations who joined their efforts in solidarity with cancer patients.
A feel-good event and well-met goals! This Sunday proved that giving just few centimetres of hair, could give joy to both donor and patient.