Patient thanks charity for giving her the dignity and strength to fight cancer

Emerald Suite at Grantham Hospital

Patients receiving chemotherapy in Lincolnshire are now able to have an additional treatment to help reduce their hair loss, thanks to a charity campaign.

Many patients receiving chemotherapy at Lincoln, Boston and Grantham hospitals are now being offered scalp cooling treatment, thanks to generous donations to a United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity appeal.

Sharon Wilkinson is currently receiving chemotherapy treatment to fight breast cancer. Sharon is a catering manager for a local secondary school and was among the first patients to be offered the scalp cooling treatment during her chemotherapy sessions. She believes it has helped to significantly reduce her hair loss during her treatment so far.

Sharon said: “Keeping your hair is not for vanity, it’s for dignity, and to give you the focus and strength to fight cancer.

“I think it is fantastic that patients like me at Lincoln, Boston and Grantham hospitals are now able to have this treatment. Making that decision is one of the few things that we can control during our battle with this disease.

“Being able to walk down the street and feel confident and not feel like everyone is looking at you is so important and empowering at this time.”

As the treatment and machinery is so new, Sharon feels she and the team on Ingham Suite at Lincoln County Hospital have all been learning together.

She added: “The whole team are amazing. I am so proud that we have these machines and know that they are going to help so many patients like me. I cannot thank everyone enough for the care they are providing. I would also like to thank the charity and everyone who supported their campaign for patients like me to be able to have this treatment.”

The charity provide the extras not covered by NHS budgets. These are the things that can often make a massive difference for patients like Sharon.

Back in 2023, as part of the 75th anniversary of the NHS, the charity launched a campaign called Challenge 75 and hosted events to raise money for the scalp cooling machines. This campaign was also supported by lots of generous donations from local business and individuals.

Thanks to all of the amazing support, the charity was able to purchase three double Paxman scalp cooling machines that can treat two patients at the same time. These machines are now in use on Ingham Suite at Lincoln County Hospital, the Chemotherapy Suite at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston and the Emerald Suite at Grantham and District Hospital.

Macmillan Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapies Clinical Nurse Specialist, Kate Taft, worked with the charity on the campaign. She said: “Lots of patients experience unpleasant side effects from their chemotherapy. Hair loss is common, although it does not happen to everyone.

“Although hair loss is almost always temporary, sometimes the hair that grows back is a slightly different colour or it may be curlier or straighter than it used to be.

“Hair loss can be upsetting. Some patients may decide to wear a wig. Other options include headwear, such as a headscarf.

“Thanks to the charity and the generous donations from local people and businesses it is now possible to reduce the chances of some of our patients experiencing hair loss by offering them the chance to wear a cold cap while having chemotherapy.”

A cold cap looks like a bicycle helmet and is designed to cool your scalp during a treatment session. This reduces blood flow to your scalp, reducing the amount of medicine that reaches it. Unfortunately, scalp cooling is not an option for all patients and is only beneficial with some drugs. Being able to use scalp cooling will be discussed with individual patients.

Charity Grants Officer, Bev Judge, said: “We were blown away by the support we received to our Challenge 75 campaign. Our previous scalp cooling systems were old and we were unable to provide them at all of our hospitals. Thanks to everyone’s generosity we were able to spend around £60,000 on these brilliant new systems.

“It is so moving when you hear about the difference they are already making for our wonderful patients like Sharon. Thank you just doesn’t cover how grateful we are on behalf of our patients.”

More information about the amazing work of the charity and how you can support it is available on their website: United Lincolnshire Hospitals (ulhcharity.org.uk)