New Wig Salon Opens Doors
In June of 2024, Cleveland Clinic Akron General opened a long awaited wig boutique within the Professional Office Building near McDowell Cancer Center. The boutique is volunteer run and offers patients a free wig, hat, and other accessories. Available wigs accommodate a variety of hair textures, cuts, and colors and a cosmetologist is at hand to help select an appropriate selection.
This boutique may appear as just another pit stop along a cancer journey, but it offers so much more to the patients that visit. Wigs are more than just a cosmetic solution to hair loss due to treatment. They can be a powerful tool in restoring self-esteem and promoting mental health during treatment. The sense of normalcy it can bring to a patient, even for just a few hours a day, can help patients better navigate the emotional toll of their journey.
“We have been trying to get a wig room in place for our patients for many, many years. We felt it would be such a nice service to offer them while they are already here in our building for treatment or to see their doctor. We are fortunate to have other wig options available to our patients in Summit County but not all of our patients have transportation, or they just don’t feel well enough to go to yet another appointment. This was our way of making it as convenient and accessible as possible. We could not have had a successful opening and continuation of the program without the support of the Comunale (Cancer) Foundation sharing in our enthusiasm and vision. It was truly a labor of love and seeing it come to fruition and enhancing our program was a long time coming!” – Dena Hunt, Resource Counselor/Social Worker with Cleveland Clinic Akron General