Five-year-old Lara Mustafa is smiling for the first time in ages. She did not receive a new toy or her favorite candy; rather, she got a customized wig.
Mustafa had to go through painful procedures after being diagnosed with cancer at an early age. Her father expressed her vulnerability and sadness when she lost her hair after months of chemotherapy.
“She saw children her age jumping in playgrounds and spending hours styling their hair, while she couldn’t. Losing her hair made her hopeless, negatively impacting her response to treatment,” the girl’s father said.
Coming from a less fortunate family in Egypt, Mustafa now sits in a humble barbershop in downtown, Cairo, sliding her fingers through her new long hair as she looked in the mirror with fresh enthusiasm. Behind that smile and renewed confidence was Sameh Salam, from Egypt, who has been personally funding and designing free wigs for children with cancer to give them power to defeat their illness.
Salam has taken up his mission when he saw a viral video on social media of a young cancer patient who was ecstatic upon receiving a new wig. It was the moment he decided to provide free wigs to children with cancer, especially those from less fortunate families, to lift up their spirit.
“Many families can barely afford expensive cancer treatment costs, let alone costly cosmetic services that can play a huge role in restoring children’s confidence and giving them strength to continue their treatment,” said Salam.
As part of the self-funded initiative, Salam purchases the necessary requirements to make a wig, while his father helps design custom-made hairstyles to cater to different children.
So far, Salam has helped over 15 children walk out of his barbershop empowered with big smiles on their faces.
Despite the several challenges, Salam said making wigs gives him as much happiness as it does for his young customers.
“Children need the emotional and moral support to go through this tough illness.”
He added, “Losing their hair drives them to isolate themselves out of fear and embarrassment. It makes them even more vulnerable.”
Noticing his daughter’s improved state, Lara’s father said more of such initiatives must be accessible to families of children with cancer. “The moral and emotional support occupies 50 per cent of cancer treatment.”
The expensive cost often makes it difficult for families to obtain the wigs that would empower their children in their treatment. Salam said, “I cannot help in their treatment, but I can help them get through it.”
To this day, he continues to provide free wigs to children, hoping to expand the project to other cities across Egypt, without external support from humanitarian organizations.