Nairobi salon gives cancer patients confidence with free wigs

A Nairobi beauty salon is giving cancer patients a moment of confidence, comfort and hope as it offers free wigs and makeovers to those coping with chemotherapy-related hair loss.

Footage shows salon owner Diana Akech and her team fitting wigs, styling hair and applying makeup for cancer survivors on Thursday.

"What inspired me was a friend of mine called Anne Kananu," Akech shared. "She came to the salon and she was diagnosed with cancer and her hair had all fallen off."

"I talked to her and I decided to counsel her a bit and then I gave her a wig and that's how it all started," she added.

Akech said the wigs do more than cover hair loss; they help restore self-esteem during one of the most difficult stages of treatment.

"When women come to me after losing their hair, they feel they have a reason to live because we remind them how beautiful they are," she remarked. "I can say it gives them hope in life."

For patients like Grace Mumo, who was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer, chemotherapy brought a sudden change in appearance, and with it, deep anxiety about being seen in public.

"The first session of chemotherapy is when I lost my hair," Mumo recalled. "I was so shy around people because they might laugh at you [...] many of them don't understand because you look so different."

"When a woman has a hairstyle, she looks beautiful," she added. "So when you come across those wigs and they're put on, you can go anywhere, in meetings, in church, feeling like you are a normal woman."

Cancer patients in Kenya can face stigma, emotional strain and heavy treatment costs. Community projects such as 'Surviving Beautifully' offer support beyond medical care, helping women confront the visible toll of chemotherapy while holding on to dignity and hope.

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