Antioch firefighters raise money to save cancer patients' hair
The men and women of the Antioch Fire Fighters Association are not only dedicated to fighting fires; they're also fighting breast cancer after raising almost $1,500 that will help several women in the community save their hair while undergoing chemotherapy at the Vista Cancer Center in Lindenhurst.
The firefighters were inspired by the breast cancer treatment and recovery of Becky Weber, whose husband is Jim Weber, a lieutenant on both the Antioch and Countryside fire departments. Jim and Becky live in Antioch, have been married for 21 years and are the parents of two boys, Ryan and Logan. While Becky had great support from her family, losing her hair during chemotherapy was one side effect she dreaded for personal and professional reasons.
Then Becky went to the Vista Cancer Center in the new Vista Medical Office Building off Grand Avenue at Deep Lake Road. Becky met with a Vista oncology certified nurse navigator before seeing Dr. Nilesh Mehta, one of Vista's three oncologists, along with Dr. Naren Kapadia and Dr. Anshul Bamrolia.
Becky learned that she could keep her hair thanks to a newer treatment at Vista called "cold cap therapy" that is only available in a small number of facilities in Illinois and Wisconsin.
The treatment uses special gel-filled caps that are deep frozen and wrapped around the scalp to apply extreme cold before, during and after the chemo. This restricts blood flow to hair follicles and helps prevent hair from being damaged or lost.
The wraps need to be changed throughout the day to maintain the cold on the scalp in a process that requires both patience and help from a friend or loved one. Since it's not yet covered by insurance, there is a cost involved.
It's a rigorous process, but Becky is one of a number of Vista patients who've been able to keep their hair after chemo. This was a major emotional benefit for Becky, who did not want hair loss to get in the way of her career as an architectural consultant for a large engineering firm. Thanks to the cold cap therapy, very few of her clients even knew she was undergoing cancer treatments.
After she finished her treatment, the Antioch Fire Fighters Association was working to raise money to fight breast cancer from the sale of their custom designed T-shirts and sweatshirts. The association hadn't decided how to direct the proceeds when Jim talked to them about the impact of cold cap therapy on Becky.
So the Antioch Fire Fighters Association decided to donate the money entirely to the Cold Cap Assistance Project, a not-for-profit organization. It will be directed to women in the area who need assistance when receiving the treatment at Vista in Lindenhurst.
With her cancer in full remission and her strength back to normal, Becky is delighted to see other women benefit from cold cap therapy.
"I'm really excited that the donations will be used for someone who can't afford it," Becky said. "It's great not to look sick when you're going through chemotherapy."
Additional donations are welcome and can be directed to the Cold Cap Assistance Project under the name of the Antioch Fire Fighters Association. For information on donating to the project, contact Antioch Fire Fighters Association, Cold Cap Assistance Projects, 5804 Shoal Creek Blvd., Austin, Texas 78757; (512) 663-3867.
For information on Vista Health System's breast cancer program, contact the Vista cancer hotline at (847) 360-4063.
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