Bonnie Henry : Volunteers wash wigs for good cause

As powerful drugs work to strip the body of cancer cells, they often eliminate what many women still consider their crowning glory: a full head of hair.

But thanks to a corps of dedicated volunteers, women (as well as a few men) still can feel good about themselves because of wigs not only donated but also cleaned and styled through Sunstone Cancer Support Centers.

"We have a few toupees and about 1,000 wigs. Currently, about 400 wigs are out in the Tucson area," says Patricia Harmon, Sunstone President and CEO.

Sunstone's four local centers, plus one in Yuma, offer a variety of services to cancer patients, including yoga, acupuncture and massage, as well as support groups.

Almost as old as Sunstone itself — which started in 2001 — is its wig-washing and -styling component.

One Saturday morning a month, a half-dozen volunteers gather to wash and style about 100 wigs at a time.

They also wash turbans and scarves, and they sterilize hats.

Donated by wig companies and individuals, most of the wigs are synthetic, making them easier to style than human-hair wigs.

"The synthetics fall right back into place," says volunteer Pat Beroza, 60, who gives a quick demonstration in what she calls "Wig Washing 101."

After swishing the wig through a combination of water and wig-washing solution, she wraps the wig in a towel, then shakes it out to dry, plops it on a wig stand and, while it's still damp, styles it with a pick.

She will do about 20 wigs that morning, as will each of the other volunteers working at the Sunstone Resource Center TMC at 2625 N. Craycroft Road, Suite 101.

All have a story to tell about why they do this.

"My family has been touched by cancer, and my best friend had breast cancer," says Beroza.

"I just feel better doing something to help people," says volunteer Ann Burba, 57, who remembers how one woman came directly from the hospital into the center.

"She looked awful," says Burba. But after getting a little help in selecting a wig, "she left with a new spring in her step. That's why I'm here."

Volunteer Cathy Addison, 66, is a breast-cancer survivor.

"Just knowing I'm helping someone else get through a really difficult time in life is why I'm here," she says.

That and her five sons. "I did not have daughters. Now I get to mess around with hair," says Addison, as she contentedly combs through an ash-blond wig.

Volunteer Deanna Cox, 54, once owned a wig company in Utah and took her wigs out to cancer survivors.

"This is a good program, and I like that it is private. A lot of women are self-conscious," says Cox.

Most cancer survivors come to the Sunstone TMC site on North Craycroft Road for wigs and fittings on weekdays, anytime between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Wigs also can be styled and even clipped for a better fit.

Katheryn Goldthorpe, 68, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in July, got her wig a few weeks ago and wound up with one similar to her own short, brown style.

But she also "tried on different styles, some long and curly, just for fun," she says.

Most of the time, she wears a "cute little hat" she also got at Sunstone.

"But when we go where I want to look nice, then I wear my wig," says Goldthorpe. "I'm grateful to have it."

Unlike some insurance companies, which may deny the cost of a wig or make clients jump through hoops to get one, Sunstone lends a wig to anyone who needs one.

There are no income qualifications, no note from the doctor. And while the wigs are on loan, nobody is held to a strict return policy.

"We had one sweet husband who called us," says Harmon. "His wife had died. He said: 'You loaned us a wig. Her hair did not grow back. She looked so good in that wig. Can we use if for her service?' As far as I know, she was buried in it."

Yet despite such grimness, trying on wigs can actually lighten the situation, says Harmon.

"It's hard to find humor, but people do get playful in this room," she says, standing in front of dozens of wigs in every style and color, including one in magenta.

"One survivor picked a very different look and color, and she kept that look after her hair came back again," says Harmon.

"When husbands come in, they want the long wigs for their wives," says volunteer Penny Offholter, 65, who spent 21 years as a beautician.

"Women look at the wigs, try them on and may think it's not so bad they are going to lose their hair. They usually go out of here with a smile," says Offholter, who began volunteering with Sunstone five years ago after her daughter-in-law was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease.

"Our system would not exist without our volunteers," says Harmon, adding that close to 170 volunteers help out at Sunstone's four local sites.

As for those who volunteer in the wig program, Harmon says: "It's a point of great joy for our volunteers when women come in with no hair and feeling pretty bad, and they leave feeling perky."

DID YOU KNOW

Sunstone Cancer Support Centers also lend bras and prostheses to women who have undergone mastectomies.