A young beautician battling cancer has managed to prevent her brunette locks from falling out during chemotherapy by undergoing a revolutionary “cooling cap” treatment.
Pretty Nadia Brown, 27, was left devastated after she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma following a series of scans last June.
The disease, which typically affects young people, develops in the lymphatic system, and makes sufferers more vulnerable to infection.
And the wedding and make-up artist was left distraught when she was told she would also probably lose her trademark glossy brown hair as a result of chemo.
Nadia said after learning of a pioneering new scalp cooling treatment she decided to give it a go because she’s determined
“not to let the cancer take anything away.”
And after 12 gruelling chemotherapy cycles she was delighted when the cooling cap, which she had to wear for four hours each session, prevented any hair loss.
Now, Nadia is celebrating after being in remission since January and wants more patients – especially women – to try the cooling treatment in future.
She said: “When I was diagnosed I was shocked. You don’t expect it. You just think ‘it won’t happen to me’.
“I was gutted when I learned I would lose my hair, because its my thing. I’ve always took pride in my hair.
“People are always telling me that when they think of me, they think of my hair first.
“It’s always been long and very thick, so the prospect of losing it, especially to something like cancer, was unthinkable.
“Then I was told by my consultant about this cooling cap treatment which could stop it from falling out, but I was warned it could be too uncomfortable to keep on.
”I was told that it could hurt like the worst brain freeze ever and most people can’t stand it.
“But I wasn’t going to let the cancer take anything away from me.”
The Paxman Scalp Cooling treatment, available on the NHS, works by lowering the temperature of the head using a cap made from lightweight, silicone tubing.
Liquid coolant passes through the cap extracting heat from the patient’s scalp, ensuring the scalp remains at an even, constant temperature to minimise hair loss.
With the support of her partner Carl Aldridge, 28, Nadia remained upbeat as she kept her hair after each six hour chemotherapy session at Royal Stoke University Hospital.
Nadia, from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs., added: “When I didn’t lose my hair, it was the best feeling ever. It helped me to stay positive.
“In fact, it continued to grow which really kept my spirits up.
‘I didn’t have to walk into somewhere looking like the stereotype of a cancer victim.
“The cold cap stopped cancer from taking my hair away from me; it let me look in the mirror in my darkest times and see me.
“It allowed me to carry on with my life looking and feeling like me.
“The cold cap is a huge step in our fight against cancer and I want everyone to know about it so they can make a choice whether to use it or not.
“It’s about being in control.”
Nadia found out she was in remission in January and had another PET scan on March 22.
She added: “It was the best news ever, like winning the lottery.
”It does change things. After something like this, you really know yourself completely.
“You have been pushed to your limits.”
Richard Paxman, managing director of the Paxman clinic, said: “I understand from personal experience the devastating effect losing your hair in chemotherapy has on a person, and we want this to stop.
“We want everyone, wherever they live to have the choice of whether scalp cooling is right for them.
“That’s why it is so refreshing for people like Nadia to share their personal experiences and hopefully give advice and support to others in a similar situation.”
ENDS
